25 Days of Xmas '18
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: 25 Christmas-themed drabbles, based on the prompts of 25daysofml2k18 over on Tumblr. Some related, most not. Fluff, humor, and some angst mixed in.
1. Chapter 1

**Day 1 (December 1st) - Travel**

" _~I'm leaving… on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again,~"_ Luka sang softly in her ear as his arms curled around her shoulders. Marinette giggled and turned in his arms as he continued to sing.

"You'd better be back in a week," she scolded playfully, tapping him on the nose. "Otherwise I'm calling Penny and complaining."

Luka's smile widened and he dipped his head until their noses were just barely brushing. "Forget-me-not, my beautiful bluebell?" he whispered.

"Never," Marinette promised, giving him a quick, chaste kiss.

Or, at least, it started as a chaste kiss, until Luka chased her lips with his own, pulling her firmly against his body. Marinette sighed in happiness and tangled her fingers in his hair as he kissed her slowly, languidly. Oh, she would miss this… his solid, calming presence, the feel of his lips on her skin….

A sharp whistle interrupted them.

"Oi, Luka! C'mon, kiddo," Jagged Stone called. "If _I_ don't get a last-make-out session, neither do you!" He grabbed Luka by the collar and hauled him away from Marinette. Luka yelped and Marinette giggled as the rock star dragged his newest protégé towards the waiting private jet.

" _I'm_ coming with you, Jagged," Penny reminded him, rolling her eyes at Marinette. "There was no need for us to say goodbye."

"Right, right," Jagged said, still holding onto the struggling Luka. "Don't worry, my favorite little lady," he grinned at Marinette. "I'll have him back in time for Christmas."

"You'd better," Marinette grinned back. "I'm not shipping the gifts I made for you two!"

"Now there's a threat!" Jagged whistled.

"Will you please let me go kiss my girlfriend goodbye?" Luka grumbled from where Jagged still had him by the collar.

"Now, now. Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Jagged said. Luka glared at his mentor. Jagged noticed it with a wicked grin. "Of course, Marinette, if you wanted to come with us…."

"Jagged," Penny said warningly.

"And give Gabriel a reason to fire me?" Marinette said, shaking her head. "Besides, the last time I came with, you tried to make me do atrocious last-minute changes to your wardrobe."

Jagged pouted.

"I'm not putting anymore sequins on your black leather boots."

"Killjoy."

"There's tasteful, then there's tacky."

Jagged stuck his tongue out at her.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "If it's any consolation, your Christmas gift is very… shiny."

"Yes!" Jagged cheered. In the midst of his fist pump, Luka managed to wrench himself away from the rockstar. He immediately ran to Marinette and scooped her up into his arms, his mouth descending on hers fiercely.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he whispered as soon as they broke away for air. "Don't let the Agrestes drive you crazy."

"Don't worry," Marinette assured him with a wink. "I know just how to deal with _them_."

Luka gave her another quick kiss. "You're amazing."

"And so are you," she said, giving him another tweak on the nose and gently pushing him away. "Now, go show the world what you can do." He gave her another big smile as they reluctantly parted. Jagged was tsking at them, while Penny was trying to hide her smile behind her hand.

"C'mon, blue, we've got a tour to rock," Jagged said, slinging an arm over Luka's shoulders.

"I'll call as soon as we land," Luka called back to Marinette.

"I'll be waiting!" she waved, giggling as Jagged gave the younger man a playful noogie.

She watched them board the plane, feeling both excited and sad. On the one hand, she'd miss Luka terribly, but on the other, introducing him to Jagged had proved to be the best thing that'd happened to either musician. Not only did their music blend together in ways that had her bouncing with excitement even now, but their personalities had meshed instantly. Luka had been just the inspiration Jagged Stone needed to create a whole new album, and Jagged had the experience Luka was lacking. The rockstar had immediately taken him on as a protégé, and of course, had hired Marinette to design matching outfits for them both.

She still had doubts about them starting a European Tour this close to Christmas, but Penny had assured her it would be perfect. Families would embrace the new "dad vibes" Jagged was now giving off, and fans would absolutely adore her gorgeous boyfriend.

She giggled once more, waving as the plane took off. And when they came back, she would be all too happy to welcome them home with open arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 2 (December 2nd) – Cookies**

Tikki hummed to herself as she zipped around the kitchen with a spoon bigger than she was.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful," she sang softly.

"—but _baked Gouda's_ so delightful!" Plagg interjected. She made a face at him and he grinned unrepentantly before swooping down to check on the cheese he did indeed have baking in the oven.

There was a thump overhead and both kwamis rolled their eyes at the telltale giggling coming from Marinette's room. _Teenagers_.

"…and since we're not going anywhere for a while…" Plagg half-sang and half-grumbled.

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Tikki laughed, scooping another spoonful of cookie dough. "And leave them alone, Plagg. They're young, and in love."

"And it's disgusting!"

"And if you interrupt them now, Adrien's just going to want to stay longer to make up for it," Tikki corrected.

"True," Plagg admitted, reluctantly sitting himself on the counter. "Ugh. _Humans_."

"I think it's sweet," Tikki said, finishing up her newest tray of cookies. Mmm, chocolate chip. Her favorite.

"Well, you _like_ sweet," Plagg said, back to grumbling. "Me, I'm more of a savory character…." He closed his eyes. He could almost taste that Gouda already. And it was soo much better than the shenanigans their bearers were getting up to.

"You're a stinky old fart," Tikki grinned at him, her smile taking the bite out of her words. He smirked back, knowing she meant it in the most affectionate way.

"You love me."

"To my eternal dismay," she sighed. "Are you done with the oven?"

"Let me check!" he said, eagerly swooping down and phasing _into_ the oven.

Tikki sighed in exasperation. 3… 2… 1…

"Hot! HOT! Hot-hot-hot-hot hooooot!" Plagg yelped, bursting through the oven door but refusing to let go of his melted cheese. The ceramic dish clattered into the counter as Plagg tried to get it somewhere he could drop it safely. He finally dropped it beside Tikki's cookie tray, furiously blowing on his tiny paws.

"You'd think an eons-old quantic god would know better," Tikki quipped, floating over. She gave his paws a quick kiss each, and Plagg sighed in relief as his burns were instantly healed.

"Thanks, sugarcube."

Tikki rolled her eyes again, but refrained from complaining. It wouldn't help, just encourage him to use the nickname more.

"Anything for my favorite stinky sock," she quipped instead.

Plagg whirled on her, mischief in his eyes.

"Oooh? _Anything_?" he pressed, throwing a glance towards her tray of unbaked cookies.

"You leave those alone," Tikki warned. "They are _mine_." She grabbed an oven mitt and zipped over to place them lovingly in the oven.

"And you won't even share with a poor, starving kitten," the cat kwami moaned dramatically.

"Why don't you eat your cheese mess. That'll feed you, oh 'poor, starving kitten.'"

"What a great idea!" he zoomed over to do just that. However, before he dug into his feast, an idea struck him. "Hey, you know how our powers combine to become something even more powerful?"

"Yes…," Tikki said slowly, not liking where this was going.

"What if our favorite snacks can combine to become even better too?" Plagg got stars in his eyes at the idea of creating an even more delicious cheese. "What if we put the _cheese_ on the _cookies_?"

"Eww," was the immediate response, but Tikki bit her lip, considering it; her creative nature overcoming her good sense.

A few minutes later, Plagg Cataclysmed the nasty abomination they'd created, actually crying at the sacrifice of his precious cheese. Tikki stayed under the running water at the sink a while longer, trying to wash the awful flavor out of her mouth.

"What is going on down here?" Marinette exclaimed, coming down the stairs with Adrien close behind.

The blond boy wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?"

"Proof that our powers should never be combined!" Plagg sobbed, still mourning his loss.

"We tried to combine our favorite snacks into one super snack," Tikki explained, finally turning off the tap and floating over to her bearer. "Turns out cheese and cookies should be enjoyed separately."

Adrien covered his mouth, hiding his laugh, but Marinette folded her arms and glared at the kwamis.

"It's called cheesecake, you two," she deadpanned.

Both kwamis mouths dropped open at their obvious oversight.

"And that's why _you're_ the Ladybug," Adrien grinned, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 3 (December 3rd) - First Snow**

"Do you think they're warm enough?" Adrien asked anxiously, practically dancing around Marinette and Alya as they fitted the twins with hats. "Maybe they need scarves too—"

"We're not wrapping anything around their necks, kitty," Marinette said firmly, exchanging an eyeroll with Alya.

"And it's not _that_ cold outside," Alya added, playfully flicking little Louis on the nose. He squealed with joy and tried to grab her finger.

"Then let's go!" Adrien cried eagerly. The other three adults grinned at him, and Nino grabbed little Emma and placed her on her father's head. She shrieked with delight, grabbing handfuls of Adrien's hair as they bounded outside.

Marinette wasn't quite as enthusiastic as her husband, but she had to admit, seeing the twins' green eyes go wide at the freshly fallen snow… well, she was glad Alya was there, already snapping pictures.

"C'mon Louis," she said, coaxing her baby boy's arms away from where he clung to her neck. She set him down in the middle of a patch of snow.

Curious, he touched it with his mitten, looking surprised when it stuck to his hand. Then, like any baby, he tried to taste the New Thing. Marinette laughed when he shivered and shook his head, but then—

He floated up off the ground, apparently not liking the cold around him. She yelped, grabbing him before anybody passing by could notice that her son was flying.

"I'd better erase that from the video," Alya chuckled.

"Oh dear," Tikki giggled, floating closer to the baby, "it looks like their powers are growing aga—ULP!"

"No, Louis," Marinette scolded, grabbing the baby's hand from where he'd promptly grabbed Tikki and stuffed her in his mouth. "We do not eat the kwami of creation!"

"I'd be more worried about the kwami of destruction myself," Alya laughed, glancing over to where Adrien and Nino were entertaining Emma, while Marinette pulled her kwami out of the baby's mouth.

"He only tried that once. Apparently Plagg tastes really bad, because Lou spit him right out. Tikki, however..."

"Don't even try to say it's because he has a sweet tooth!" Tikki said, shaking herself off.

"Well, maybe if you didn't eat so many cookies…," Marinette teased.

"No worries, Tikki. He just has good taste," Alya said, winking at the kwami. Tikki made a face at the other girl.

"I hope Adrien's having better luck with Emma," Marinette said, trying to see what her husband and daughter were doing.

…..

Adrien was having a blast. Emma loved the snow. The way it crunched, the way she could make patterns just by touching it, the way it melted against her skin when she tried to eat it….

"Dude, you are so lucky," Nino said wistfully. "Trust you to make the cutest kids possible."

"Mari helped," Adrien grinned at his friend. "And don't worry, I'll bet you and Alya will have a bunch of your own here soon."

"We're trying," Nino admitted.

"I don't see what the big fuss is about," Plagg grumbled, peeking out at Emma from Adrien's coat. "Miniature drool machines who scream more than sleep…." He trailed off, staring at the baby.

"You're just mad that Louis pulled your tail last night," Adrien said. The kwami ignored him. After a moment, he floated down to where Emma was still sitting happily in the snow, babbling to herself. Emma happily showed the tiny cat her handful of snow.

Adrien and Nino exchanged raised eyebrows and shrugged. Plagg usually didn't go near the babies unless he had to.

"So, have you guys tried any treatments yet?" Adrien asked, scooping up a handful of snow to shape into a ball for his daughter. He continued keeping an eye on the baby while he and Nino talked.

His best friend shook his head. "Nah, we're scheduled to see this—WHOA!" Nino's eyes went wide and Adrien froze in shock at what he'd just seen.

Plagg started laughing.

"Dude, did she—did your daughter just Cataclysm that snow she had in her hand?!" Nino whisper-screamed.

"I think so," Adrien said, staring in horror at the black motes of magic floating around Emma's hand. "Oh, sh—"

"I've got dibs on the girl, Tikki!" Plagg called over to his counterpart, still cackling.

"What are you talking about, Plagg?" Marinette called, scooping up Louis so she and Alya could move closer.

Adrien watched in horror as Emma raised her hand again, the magic gathering around it once more, and he did the first thing that came to mind.

" _ADRIEN_! DID YOU JUST THROW A SNOWBALL AT OUR BABY?!" Marinette shrieked, racing forward.

"I PANICKED!" And honestly, he'd just tossed it at her hand….

"What?! Why?" Marinette asked, kneeling down and reassuring herself that Emma was okay. In fact, the baby was laughing at Daddy's attempt to "play" with her. Even if she had Cataclysm-ed the snowball he'd thrown.

"You're going to have to invest in a whole lot of spare toys and furniture," Plagg snickered, floating back up to Adrien.

"Can't you, like, control it?" Adrien whimpered. Plagg shook his head, still grinning.

"Adrien, what is going on?" Marinette demanded, looking very cross.

"Our daughter used the Cataclysm," he whispered. His wife went pale.

"Oh man," Alya laughed. "One kid can fly and one is out to destroy things. Good luck, you two!"

"It certainly has been quite the day of firsts," Tikki agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Day 4 (December 4th) - "All I Want for Christmas"**

"Adrien," a soft voice called, stirring him from his sleep. "Adrien, honey, wake up!"

He _knew_ that voice.

 _But it couldn't be!_

Adrien opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, unable to believe the sight before him.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie!" his mom cried joyfully, holding out her arms to him.

"Mom?" Adrien said, sitting up slowly and praying he wouldn't wake up. This was everything he'd ever wanted! His father was even standing beside them, beaming at his family with a smile Adrien hadn't seen in _years_. "Is—is this a dream?"

"No dream," his mother said, stepping forward and giving him a hug. Adrien returned it, and then clung to her. Her warmth. Her scent. He could never forget that smell! _It was her! She was back!_ She pulled back just enough to smile at him. "Oh, I'm sorry I was gone so long—"

"What happened?!" Adrien cried, still clutching her. "One day, you were just –poof!— gone!"

"I know, I know," she shushed him, kissing him on the forehead. "And I'll tell you everything when you're older. For now, I'm just so happy to see you! Look how much you've grown!"

"Two inches," Adrien said proudly. "Ever since Dad let me go to school." He was eager to share everything she'd missed.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Emilie chuckled, giving her husband a look that said they'd be talking later. Gabriel coughed into his hand.

"Didn't you two want to decorate for Christmas?" he suggested lightly, obviously changing the subject. "We've been waiting until you got back, my love."

"Yes, let's!" his wife cheered. "Get dressed, sweetie!" she said, turning to Adrien. "I'll have Nathalie get us the biggest tree she can find!"

Adrien eagerly obeyed, full-out running out of his bedroom to rejoin his parents once he was dressed. And there she was. His mother hadn't disappeared the moment she'd left his sight. In fact, she was laughing with Nathalie about something, Father was sorting through their Christmas ornaments, and Christmas music sang softly through the halls of their house once more.

Adrien wanted to scream for joy.

 _This_ was what Christmas should be. This was what _home_ should be!

"There you are!" his mother sang delightedly. "Come help me decide on a theme, Adrien. Your father isn't letting me do all red." She pouted at Gabriel, who looked away and cleared his throat nervously.

"There are plenty of other colors to choose from," he pointed out.

"Fine. How about blue, Adrien?"

"I love blue!" Adrien agreed excitedly.

 _Bluebell eyes._

Adrien blinked in surprise at that thought.

" _Strawberry with black chocolate chip, blackberries for her hair, blueberry ice cream for her sky-blue stare!"_

Why was he suddenly thinking of Ladybug? And why did it feel like he'd forgotten that memory until just now?

 _Weird._

"…and then we can invite some of your new friends from school!" Mom was saying.

"That sounds great, Mom!" Adrien exclaimed. Wait until she met Nino and Alya! She'd love them! And— _who? There was another friend he wanted her to meet. They'd get along so well! And when Mom found out Marinette was a designer—_

 _Marinette!_

 _That was who he'd been trying to think of!_ He shook his head at his brain fart. _How could he possibly forget her name? Silly. He needed to get more sleep…._

"Speaking of school," Gabriel said, interrupting Adrien's thoughts. "Adrien will need to leave soon to be on time."

"Aww, but we're not done decorating!" his wife pouted.

"That was before I knew you'd want to do every single room in a different color," Father pointed out.

Adrien looked around as his parents continued to banter and argue in good humor. They were actually… mostly done. How long had he spaced out?

"What if I don't go to school today?" he blurted out, going to his mother and latching onto her arm. "I want to spend more time with you!"

Emilie smiled at him, her eyes shining with love. "And we will," she promised. "But for now, your father's right. Education is important. And… you can go invite all your friends to our Christmas party so I can meet them!" She winked at him. "I expect only _one_ girlfriend, young man!"

Adrien blushed. "I—I don't—"

"Now, off to school with you!"

The rest of his protests were ignored, but Adrien bore it with a light heart. Especially when his mother promised he could still come home for lunch and eat with them. He took off, still drinking in the sight of his happy parents waving goodbye.

"Nino!" he squealed, pouncing on his best friend as soon as he saw him. "You'll never believe it! My mom's back! She's okay, and she's back home with us!"

"Dude! That's awesome!" Nino crowed, giving him a high-five. "Wait 'til Alya hears! Hey, Alya!"

Alya also squealed at Adrien's good news, and gave the blond a huge hug. He returned it gladly. _Oh, his heart had never felt so full! He finally had everything he'd ever wanted for Christmas!_

"Where's Marinette?" he asked, looking around for the final member of their usual group. He couldn't wait to share this Christmas miracle! She'd be so happy for him! He was so eager, he almost missed Nino and Alya's confused stares. Catching their change of mood, he calmed down a bit. "Guys? Where is she? I know she runs late, but shouldn't she be here soon?"

"Dude, _who_?" Nino asked, looking lost. Adrien came to a full stop.

"Marinette," he repeated, confused.

Nino and Alya shared a look, and stared at him like he'd gone crazy.

"Who's Marinette?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Day 5 (December 5th) - Ice Skating**

 _(Spoiler alert - Frozer references)_

* * *

Luka took a deep breath as he entered the ice rink, enjoying the scent. Usually, his guitar and a good song were relaxing enough, but today, he wanted something different. Something to get the blood pumping. And ever since his—slightly awkward—date with Marinette, he'd wanted to come back here.

He'd almost forgotten how much he loved skating. The glide, the rhythm, the wind in his hair…

He blinked when he realized someone was already out there, skating. _Oh! It was that girl Adrien had brought the last time they were here!_

"Hey!" he called cheerfully as he took to the ice. The girl shot him a sideways glance.

"Hey," she said shortly, carrying on with her lap. Luka raced to catch up.

"Nice seeing you again," he said, matching her pace. "Kagami, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she admitted. He could almost hear her thoughts. On the one hand, she wanted to skate by herself. On the other hand… manners.

Manners won. "I didn't catch your name."

"Luka," he said, offering his hand. "Luka Coffaine."

Kagami gave it a quick shake. "Nice to meet you. Now, if you'll excuse me," she shot off again.

"You've got some great moves," Luka called, keeping up with her. Ordinarily, he wouldn't keep bugging somebody, especially a girl, when they had made it clear they were uninterested, but he had some questions burning inside of him. What was her relationship with Adrien? What was the deal with Marinette and Adrien? Did he, Luka, even have a chance with the lovely girl who'd invited him here before?

He sped up so he was in front of her, then turned, skating backwards so they could talk. As anticipated, her lips pursed tightly together.

"I had a private tutor for years," she said, trying to skate around him. He followed her movements, so it looked like they were skating in circles around each other. Her expression relaxed a bit when she realized what he was doing, and she actually gave him a small smile before adding dryly, "I would hope that I'd pick _something_ up."

Luka chuckled. "I'd say you did," he said, offering her his hand so he could twirl her. Kagami blinked and hesitated, almost accepting his offer—only to shake herself out of it and pull out of their little circle completely.

"I only skate solo."

He blinked at the regret in her voice. Was that really _her_ talking, or just something that was expected of her? He looked after her for a moment, pondering.

He'd assumed she and Adrien were a couple. The song in their hearts was so similar; every note painfully perfect, almost screaming as they rattled their cages. But when he'd talked to Adrien before, it was obvious the other boy was too timid to break free just yet—even if he was quickly approaching that point.

But this girl. She was bold and clever. What could possibly be holding her back?

He—he wanted to hear it. That song in her heart when she broke free—when she laughed, or sang or cried—whichever it was… when her heart was no longer screaming silently in—

Loneliness.

 _I'd like to make that loneliness go away._ The thought sprang unbidden into his head _. I'd like to be there for her. When she becomes_ more _—when she grows even brighter than what she is now…._

The decision was still only half-formed, and he was already chasing after her, pondering his next move. How far could he push before she told him to get lost? Despite her outward coldness, she'd responded to his playfulness positively. But if Kagami told him outright that he wasn't welcome, he'd have to leave her alone. He didn't want to cross any lines.

In fact, judging from her glare as he caught up to her—he was already skating on thin ice.

"Can't you take a hint?" she asked irritably.

"Absolutely. Solo," Luka nodded, holding his hands up in surrender. He sped up and turned so he was skating backwards again. "I just wanted to point something out, if you'd care to listen."

Kagami gave him a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. What is it?"

"Just that, no matter how well you do by yourself," he gave her a grin and sped up, twisting into a perfectly-formed triple axel. She looked mildly impressed. "There's always a limit to how high you can go on your own. But if you had somebody to _lift_ you…." He trailed off, holding out his hand to her. She raised an eyebrow, obviously remembering how easily he'd lifted Marinette over his head last time.

To Luka's delight, she hesitated again. "Of course, I get it if you wanna stay solo," he said, slowly retracting his hand. "Not everybody can handle it."

Her eyes flashed at his less-than-subtle challenge.

"Just once," she said, catching his hand before he could pull it away completely. He smiled when she pulled them closer together. "And if you drop me, I'll kill you," she hissed.

"Noted," he chuckled, shifting his grip so he could take her waist. He lifted her up easily, but whereas Marinette had surrendered her weight to him, trusting him like they did it all the time, Kagami panicked and curled in on herself protectively.

Her knee knocked him on the nose.

With a yelp, Luka overcorrected, pulling her close as they went down in a heap.

"Ouch," he groaned. Typical. The first time he tries flirting and—

"I should've known," Kagami growled, pushing him away.

"Technically, I didn't drop you," Luka pointed out, indicating where his hands and body had kept her safe from the fall.

She paused. "You're bleeding."

Luka felt his nose. He wasn't really surprised.

Kagami pushed herself up and then, to his surprise, held her hand out to him. "C'mon, we'll get it looked at."

Luka let her pull him up, already feeling better about this whole experience.


	6. Chapter 6

**Day 6 (December 6th) - Gift Wrap**

"Plagg, c'mon! Give that back!" Adrien yelled, chasing after his kwami. Plagg flew off to the other end of the bedroom, cackling wildly. He was also, unfortunately, still clutching the gold-colored Christmas bow Adrien had selected for Ladybug's present.

"Mine now!" Plagg sang, landing on one of the highest rocks on the rock wall. "It's shiny! I like shiny!"

"I'll give you another one!" Adrien hollered.

"Nope, I like this one."

"You only want it 'cause _I_ want it!"

"Ooo, he _can_ learn," Plagg taunted, grinning evilly at his bearer.

"Dammit, Plagg!" Adrien snarled, snapping and starting to climb the rock wall.

"Language, Adrien," his kwami said, mockingly-proper all of a sudden. "Santa Claus is watching you."

"If he's watching, you're gonna get coal for the rest of eternity!" Adrien retorted, lunging the last few feet to grab at the tiny cat. Plagg evaded him easily, floating up towards the zipline as though daring Adrien to jump for it.

"He knows better than to give me coal," Plagg said, hanging the bow from his tail so he could taunt the boy further. "I just use it to set things on fire. WHOOPS!" He dove out of the way just in time, as Adrien lunged off the rock wall in effort capture his kwami. The blond missed, and landed on his couch.

"Ugh, Plagg, I'll give you an extra wheel of cheese and _two_ other bows if you just give me _that_ one," Adrien groaned, reduced to bartering with his own kwami.

"Hmph, so that's the going rate for a present for the _love of your life?"_ Plagg sniffed haughtily. "How cheap."

"Fine, two wheels of cheese."

"Done!" Plagg cheered, dropping the bow on his bearer's head and going to the fridge to collect his prize. Rationing, ugh. Adrien had complained that his allowance wasn't enough to support Plagg's expensive taste. Ha, as if. The boy had just wanted to buy an extra-expensive gift for his _Lady_.

"I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about anyway," Plagg grumbled, digging into his snack while Adrien placed the finishing touches on his present. "You two aren't even couple yet. It's not like you're giving her a ring—" Adrien froze. Plagg raised a suspicious eyebrow. "—or anything," he finished, floating up.

"You didn't. Right?" he pressed, suddenly interested in Adrien's gift. The blond quickly hid the box behind his back with a nervous chuckle.

"Wha—what's wrong with a ring?" he stammered, backing away. "It's not like it's an engagement ring or anything…."

Plagg let out a long-suffering sigh. That was it. He'd had it with this oblivious boy and his oversized crush.

"The _problem_ ," he growled, floating closer to the blond, "is if you give it to her, you're gonna expect her to wear it."

"Yeah, so?" Adrien said, looking defensive.

"She can't wear it!" Plagg pointed out. "Her suit will cover it!" Adrien opened his mouth, but Plagg beat him to the punch. "—And if she wears it as a civilian, people will want to know where it came from! What's she supposed to tell them, huh? Especially if there's another guy she likes?!"

"I—I just thought—"

"Problem number two," Plagg continued. "Is that rings are a gift that _couples_ give to each other. You are _not_ a couple."

"I know that!" Adrien sputtered. "But someday—"

 _OH, THAT WAS IT._

Plagg hated being the voice of reason on a _good_ day. Today, he'd simply had enough. He swooped over to the table where Adrien had been wrapping that tiny box and grabbed the roll of gift wrap.

Then, he turned on his owner.

"YOU. ARE. FIFTEEN. YEARS. OLD!" he yelled, whacking Adrien upside the head with every word. The blond yelped and tried to shield himself, but Plagg had centuries of fighting experience that he used to keep hitting the boy, even after Adrien started trying to run away. "You are -NOT- ready to settle down—you will -NOT- elope with Ladybug—your desert island idea is -STUPID—and by the powers-that-be, if you continue to foist your fantasies onto Ladybug when she's told you NO- so help me, I will EAT YOUR HAMSTER!"

Adrien gasped in horror. "You wouldn't!"

Plagg gave him a dry stare. "Tastes like chicken."

"You leave my future pseudo-child alone!"

"We have an understanding, then."

"Fine," Adrien groaned, flopping down on the couch and staring at his tiny box forlornly. "Do you have any ideas on what else I could get her?"

"Cheese."

"YOU ARE NO HELP!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Day 7 (December 7th) - Bright**

"Thank you again, Mr. Damocles! Or should I call you The Owl?"

"No need, Chief," Mr. Damocles chuckled, shaking the Fire Chief's hand. "I'm not in costume, after all. And, as always, it's my pleasure."

He stepped over to say goodbye to other members of the fire department, feeling a warm sense of pride in the success of his "Fireman's Christmas Dinner."

"Damocles, was it?" a voice at his elbow said. He looked over to see an old man squinting at him. Must be a veteran. Recognition dawned on the old man's face. "Ah! You must be Sam's boy!"

Mr. Damocles stiffened for a moment before relaxing and giving the man a smile. "That's right, sir."

"Knew you had his look about you," the old man chuckled, slapping Mr. Damocles on the back. "Good man, that Sam. A hero we can all look up to."

Mr. Damocles smiled. "Yes, sir."

"I tell ya, I still live by that old saying of his," the old man continued. "What was it? 'Shine bright…'"

"'Even in the darkest night,'" Mr. Damocles finished softly.

"Aye, that was it! Always thought it was an odd saying for a fireman…."

"Agreed," Mr. Damocles chuckled. "Well, sir, if you'll excuse me."

He took his leave then, trying not to rush, but he only took a deep breath once he got outside and headed home. Even now, years later, it hurt to talk about his father.

He must be feeling sentimental.

As soon as he got home, he decided to embrace his nostalgia and lit a fire in his fireplace, remembering his father's soothing voice.

" _Don't ever be afraid of fire, my little owl."_

" _But Dad, aren't you a fireman? Don't you fight fires?"_

" _Oh, I never said not to respect them,"_ his father had laughed. _"But, if managed correctly, they can provide warmth—and light. And we all need a reminder to shine bright. Even—"_

"—in the darkest night," he murmured along with the memory. With a sigh, he poured himself a glass of wine and decided to open his Christmas gift to himself early.

After all, if he was already being sentimental, he might as well remember everything.

Mr. Damocles unwrapped the package slowly, smiling at the latest issue of Knight Owl. The first issue had been the last Christmas present he'd ever gotten from his father, and ever since then, he'd collected them on Christmas, as a way to remember…

He took another deep breath and a sip of his wine to steady himself as he remembered what'd happened next.

They'd just finished opening gifts—his younger self had been such a nerd, and so excited to get a new comic book—when the call had come in. He'd been disappointed that his father had to go—it was Christmas, after all—but they hadn't gotten the details until later.

It had been a prank. Some stupid teenagers had decided that prank-calling the fire department was their holiday game of choice. But while the firemen were off on their wild goose chase, a real fire had been starting a few miles away. By the time the firemen had gotten there, it was raging out of control.

His father had learned that there might still be people inside.

Mr. Damocles took another deep breath. He didn't think the students at Dupont knew _why_ he hated calling the fire department for anything other than an emergency—and if he had his way, they never needed to know—but ever since he'd overheard his father's Chief say that if they'd gotten there sooner it wouldn't have been so bad….

No matter. His father was considered a hero now. A title that the younger him had both hated and embraced.

He'd thrown himself into comic books, devouring the stories with a fervor. Superheroes. Powers. Defending the innocent. Saving people.

Shining bright.

An offhand comment from his mother—"Superheroes don't fail classes"—had set him back on track at school, and soon, he'd found that not only did he enjoy tutoring other students, he was actually good at it. And when his science teacher had pointed out that helping others learn and better their own lives was a sure sign of a hero, he'd decided he was going to be a teacher. He was going to help others help themselves for the rest of his life.

He chuckled, allowing himself another sip as he perused his newest comic.

An everyday hero. Just like a fireman. And even though his asthma had made it impossible to follow in his father's footsteps, he was making a difference for people in his own way.

By helping the children who would inherit it.

 _And that day might come earlier than anticipated,_ he thought, looking up at the sound of laughter outside his window. A flash of red and black—Ladybug and Chat Noir, doing their usual patrol, but this time with Santa hats.

He went to the window to watch them until they were out of sight.

Real superheroes. Real powers. Saving people. Defeating evil. Helping whenever they could. But still—

He smiled. They still had a sense of innocence. A sense of deferment, even when saving him from his own stupidity. They might never say as much, but he had a feeling they were still children under those suits.

Which meant he had a duty to them. Just as they had a duty to Paris.

Even though he knew they couldn't see him, Mr. Damocles raised his glass to them.

"Shine bright."


	8. Chapter 8

**Day 8 (December 8th) - Christmas Music**

 _(continued from Day 4 - "All I Want for Christmas")_

Adrien's head was spinning when he finally got home for lunch. No one. Not one single person remembered Marinette. Alya sat alone behind him. Chloe was the class representative (not that she ever did anything with her role, she just liked the power). There were no photos. No homework assignments. He'd even asked Alya to show him a video that he _knew_ Marinette had been in. She wasn't there anymore.

She was just… gone.

Now, here he sat, eating lunch with his parents (his parents! _Plural! His mom was back!_ He should be ecstatic right now!), wondering if he was going crazy. He didn't even have his lucky charm anymore.

" _I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need…"_

He blinked at the soft Christmas music. His parents' happy chatter as they ate lunch. It was such a far cry from the silence he'd endured before. Nothing but the sound of his own fork scraping against the plate. Tired, and sad, and almost unreal now that he had music and laughter all around him.

 _Maybe it had just been a bad dream?_

 _Could that be it? Could he have just dreamed Marinette up? Somebody sweet and brave for him to look up to…_

Her face flashed in his memory. Her huge smile, her antics whenever she was flustered—

 _NO. He hadn't dreamed her up! She was real! She had to be!_

"Adrien?" his mom's voice broke through his thoughts. She was looking at him, concerned. "You've been so quiet, sweetie. Is everything okay?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm fine," he said quickly. _Stupid_ , he berated himself. _Your mom is back! You've got your very own Christmas miracle and you're sitting here moping! But—but still…._

"Dad," he said slowly, "do you remember… who won your hat contest?"

His father blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. "Miss Bourgeois, of course," he replied. "Though I later had to disqualify her for blatant plagiarism, so we won't be presenting anything for the show. Surely you remember that?"

"But didn't—"

"Did Chloe ask you to put her hat back in the show?" his mom asked gently.

"No, no—"

"If Miss Bourgeois is harassing you at school, I can have a word with the mayor—," his father began.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Adrien shouted, leaping to his feet. "Don't you remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng?! She made a feather hat! I was sneezing the whole time!"

Gabriel Agreste went white. "You shouldn't remember that name," he blurted.

Adrien stared at his father in shock. "Wha-what?!" he choked out.

"I—I mean, I've never heard of her—"

"You _do_ remember her!" Adrien exclaimed, racing over to his father and eagerly grabbing his hands. "Dad—!"

"Gabriel, what is going on?" Emilie asked, also standing.

"You shouldn't remember her," the older man repeated, staring at his son in disbelief. "You shouldn't be able to. You—" As though a thought had occurred to him, he looked down at their joined hands, and carefully turned Adrien's so he could see his son's fingers.

"Adrien… where is your ring?" he asked, horror rising on his face.

Adrien froze, staring at his own hand in disbelief.

 _His ring. His Miraculous!_

 _Plagg! HOW COULD HE HAVE FORGOTTEN PLAGG?!_

"Plagg," he whispered, fingering the place the ring used to be. His father stepped back, shock written all over his face.

"Chat Noir," he murmured. "She said the magic wouldn't work as well on someone used to the Miraculouses."

"How did you—she?" Adrien stammered. "Who's 'she?'"

His father's mouth snapped shut and his gaze hardened. "Never mind. You should forget Miss Dupain-Cheng. After all, your mother is finally back, Adrien. This is a time for happiness! Let us focus on more important things."

"Marinette's my friend!" Adrien protested. "She—!"

"She's gone, Adrien," his father snapped. "It would be best if you simply let her fade from your mind."

"Gabriel…," Emilie said, also staring at her husband.

"We'll talk about it later," Gabriel said sharply, not looking at her. "For now, Adrien has to get back to school."

"NO! I want to talk about this some more!" Adrien protested.

"There's nothing left to say," his father said, turning away to head out of the dining room.

"FATHER!"

"I'll talk to him, Adrien," Emilie said quickly, ushering her son away from her husband. "I'm sure he has a reason for all of this. Try not to worry too much, all right?"

"But—"

"Off you go, dearest. I'll see you after school."

His mother kissed the top of his head, and Adrien felt himself automatically relax, his protests dying away.

"She's my friend, Mom," he whined anyway. "I need to know what happened to her."

"Later," his mother promised.

Slumped and defeated, Adrien shuffled back out the door, all of his earlier joy fading away. The world seemed quiet again.

 _Well, at least he knew he wasn't crazy,_ he thought bitterly. _Marinette Dupain-Cheng had existed. His father knew about her too. And apparently, Adrien remembered her because he had a Miraculous—_

The pieces clicked together in his mind, and he whirled around to stare at his house in horror.

You needed to possess a Miraculous to remember Marinette. But there had only been three Miraculous activated, at least that he knew about. One for him, one for Ladybug, and one for…

"Hawkmoth," he whispered, bile rising in his throat.

 _It was. It had to be him. There was no other explanation. There was no way his father was Ladybug!_

" _Make my wish come true…"_

Adrien turned and bolted before his bodyguard could stop him. He ran until the blood roaring in his ears drowned out the sound of Christmas music. He didn't stop until he got all the way to school.


	9. Chapter 9

**Day 9 (December 9th) – "Snow Ball" Fight**

 _(Okay, so I took some liberties with the prompt…)_

 _It had started off so well, too,_ Alya thought regretfully. She and the girls had had a fool-proof plan. Use Chloé's "Snow Ball" to get Adrien and Marinette together. Don't tell Marinette he was coming, so she wouldn't have time to panic. Use dancing and the snack bar to move them closer together, and then, oops! Push them under the mistletoe together! Badda-bing badda-boom, the lovebirds start kissing and realize how right they are for each other!

Simple, right?

 _Well, not really, but she thought she'd covered all the bases._

She'd gotten Nino to convince Adrien to tell everyone he wouldn't be able to make it, and then they'd smuggle themselves in, incognito. (The poor, sweet, sunshine boy thought he was hiding from his father, not everyone else.) Rose and Juleka would hang out at the buffet table, making sure the mistletoe remained open and available as soon as they needed it. Myléne and Ivan would dance nearby, keeping an eye on Marinette and blocking the door so the girl couldn't bolt as soon as she got a glimpse of the love of her life.

Alya should've known they were screwed the moment Alix volunteered to distract Chloé….

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Marinette exclaimed, as soon as they entered the Snow Ball. Alya had to agree. The Bourgeois family had gone all-out on decorations. Glittering crystals in the shape of snowflakes hung everywhere from the ceiling, and the gold and red motif of the Grand Paris Hotel's lobby had been replaced with silver and white, edged in blue and covered in glitter.

"You can really tell Audrey was involved," Alya commented.

"Glitter everywhere," Marinette agreed. They shared a giggle.

Then Alya caught sight of Chloé, and immediately understood the need for all the extravagance. The gold princess ballgown the blonde was wearing would look out of place at any other party.

"Wow," was all she could say. Marinette caught sight of where she was looking and nudged her best friend.

"It's not so bad," she said. "It kinda reminds me of Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast.'"

"If you say so," Alya said doubtfully. Personally, she thought Marinette looked a thousand times better. Her light pink dress suited her perfectly (of course, it was a Marinette Original, so no one was surprised) and was more graceful and flowy than… poofy.

"Hey, Marinette!" Kim said, coming over to them. "Would you like to dance?"

Alya panicked. _This wasn't in the plan!_

"NO! I mean—umm, we were just heading over to the buffet table, right, Marinette?" she said, trying to tug her friend away.

"It's okay, Alya. I'm not hungry yet anyway," Marinette said, blissfully unaware of Alya's internal screaming. She took Kim's hand and smiled at her bestie. "Why don't you go ahead without me? I think I see Nino over there."

Kim twirled her away and Alya turned towards the buffet table. Sure enough, her boyfriend was already here, right beside a blond in a top hat and a masquerade mask.

 _Really, Nino? That was the best you could do?_

Nino caught her gaze and gave a helpless shrug. _Not his fault then._ Alya sighed. Adrien could be such a dork sometimes. And now Kim had Marinette practically on the other side of the room, both of them laughing as they twirled around carelessly.

Alya sternly resisted the urge to scream. _Why did her plans keep getting derailed?!_

"What the heck, Alya?" Alix hissed, coming up beside her. "I've had to talk Miss Lemon Cupcake for _ten minutes_ now! Do you have any idea how self-absorbed she is?! Where were you guys? Where's Marinette?"

"We got held up with last-minute fixes," Alya admitted glumly. "And M got stolen by Kim as soon as we walked in the door." She waved in their general direction. Alix narrowed her eyes.

"That big lug. This calls for drastic measures."

And then she was off. Alya blinked. Was she wearing roller blades under her dress? Typical Alix. Oh well, time to meet up with the other girls and formulate a new plan—

"HEY, KIM! CATCH!"

Alya stared in horror as Alix lobbed something from the buffet table right at Kim. It was some kind of marshmallow dessert, meant to imitate snowballs, but it came apart midair. Kim, realizing that there was no way he could catch it all, grabbed Marinette and used her like a shield.

Alya gasped in horror as Marinette spattered in marshmallow crème. Oh no! Her new dress! Any moment now, Marinette would burst into tears and run out of here, sobbing! She'd be akumatized! Alya had to—

Marinette's eyes narrowed. Slowly, carefully, she scooped the worst of the mess off her dress, studying it in her hand for a moment…

Before turning and smashing it in Kim's face.

Kim sputtered and flailed around as he wiped it off, laughing. "Okay, yeah, I deserved that!" he said.

But Marinette was already moving, headed straight for the buffet table, and Alix.

"In my defense," Alix said, holding up her hands and slowly backing away, "I didn't mean to hit _you_ —" She was cut when a fresh handful of the marshmallow crème was flung in her face. She glared at the class president and wiped it off.

"Oh, it's on."

"Now see here—!" Chloé snarled, coming up behind them. Marinette ducked Alix's next attack just in time, and Chloé went down, covered in crème.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Ivan yelled, gleefully lobbing a pudding at the nearest person.

And the party devolved into a free-for-all.

And, to her horror, Alya watched as Adrien approached Marinette, still incognito. He was frowning, probably mad that she was spoiling his best friend's party.

Sure enough, his voice was reproachful.

"Hey, I don't think this is—"

Marinette, in the midst of her battle-induced bloodlust, threw a scoop of marshmallow crème right at him, knocking off his hat. Adrien stood there, dumbfounded, and then slowly took off his now-crème-covered mask.

Maarinette paled. "ADRIEN?"

He stared back at her, his gaze calculating. "So, you wanna play, huh?"

"I—I—I'm sorry!" Marinette stammered. "I didn't know it was you! I didn't—"

She was cut off by a chocolate pie to the face.

Adrien licked his fingers. "Now you just need a cherry on top, princess," he said, grinning at her cheekily.

Marinette glared at him and wiped the worst of it off.

"You're dead to me, Agreste," she growled.

"Strong words from a chocolate mousse."

What happened next could only be described as a lovers' quarrel. Alya had never seen somebody throw so accurately as Adrien did while diving, and Marinette quickly made an ingenious shield with an empty platter as she continued to barrage the love of her life with various food items.

In fact, Alya would've recorded it all to show to their future children someday, but Nino came up and lovingly smushed a banana crème pie into her hair, so she had to go introduce him to the pudding.


	10. Chapter 10

**Day 10 (December 10th) – Blanket**

Marinette smiled and softly sang to herself as her sewing machine hummed. She fed it more material, keeping her pace steady and watching carefully for any missed stitches.

No mistakes. She wanted this to be purr-fect.

She giggled a bit at her own lame pun as she started another seam. Chat, Chat, Chat. Her kitty had really rubbed off on her. Slowly but surely, it had gotten much easier to banter with the Villain of the Day. She was no longer simply dodging her own terror, or single-mindedly focusing on finding the akuma to purify. She truly had grown in her abilities as Ladybug.

And she owed a lot of it to Chat Noir.

From the very beginning, he'd had her back. Encouraged her. Cheered her on and acted as a human shield to protect her whenever she needed him. She wasn't sure she could find the words to tell him how much each "Pound It!" meant to her.

So, she'd decided to show him instead. After all, the closest metaphor she could think of… was a blanket.

 _Strong and warm and a little bit fluffy; something you could cuddle close and know you'd be safe…_

She blushed at that last thought. It might be better if she didn't try to explain it _that_ way…

Last seam done, she snipped the thread edges and shook it out. She still had to press it, and their patrol time was coming up fast. She hoped he liked it.

The last few minutes seemed to fly by faster than her yo-yo before she was calling to Tikki and leaping out her skylight. She'd just barely managed to put a ribbon and bow on it. Hopefully Chat wouldn't mind the lack of wrapping paper.

She sailed through the air, for once paying attention to how easy it was to fly over the rooftops nowadays. Those first few weeks… she'd gotten tangled up in her own yo-yo string, misjudged distances, decimated a perfectly good billboard….

And now, it was as easy as breathing.

"Hallo, milady!" Ladybug heard Chat call as soon as she reached the Arc de Triomphe (they'd decided against meeting at the Eiffel Tower today, Hawkmoth a tendency lure too many akumas there whenever they were spotted). He grinned as he landed beside her. "And how is Paris's prettiest superhero today?"

"I dunno, Chat Noir. How _are_ you?" she flirted back.

Chat's jaw dropped. He stared at her in disbelief, his mouth moving silently.

"Oh, don't look so shocked," she laughed, flicking his chin up so he'd stop gaping at her. "We've already agreed _I'm_ the badass, and _you're_ the cutie who poses for pictures with the fans."

Chat burst out laughing. "You got me there," he agreed. He gave her an adoring look, which morphed into curiosity when he realized she was carrying something. "What's that?"

Ladybug held it out to him. "Merry Christmas!" she grinned.

His face lit up. "You got me a present?!" he exclaimed, taking it.

"Well, yeah," she said, nervously playing with her fingers. "I know we just did cookies and hot chocolate last year… but I really wanted to say thanks. For everything."

"I'll have you know that those cookies and hot chocolate were the best Christmas present I've ever gotten," Chat said, tearing off the ribbon. The blanket unfolded in front of him and his mouth dropped open again. "Until now," he amended. "My lady, this is amazing!"

Ladybug beamed with pride while he inspected her work. She made a sort-of patchwork quilt, with each square depicting the silhouette of every akumatized villain they'd defeated together. (Needless to say, there were quite a few squares!) And in front of each silhouette was a tiny, white butterfly, symbolizing their victory.

"I love it," Chat whispered.

"Flip it over," Ladybug suggested.

He did so, and promptly gasped. She'd divided the back into two triangles, red and black, with their respective symbols in the middle of each color. She hoped he understood the symbolism; they were partners. Two halves of the same whole. Together forever.

"I just thought you might want something to—CHAT, ARE YOU CRYING?"

"It's liquid joy," he insisted, wiping his eyes. He hugged the blanket to himself. "It's so soft," he whimpered. "And it smells like cake."

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't have time to wash it after I finished making it, so you'll have to—"

"I love it. I love it! I LOVE IT!" Chat squealed, scooping her into a hug. He spun her around a couple times, laughing. Then, just as suddenly, he put her down, looking concerned. "But I didn't get you anything! Well, I did, but my kwami said I couldn't give it to you, so…."

"Chat, it's okay!" she laughed, giving him another quick hug. "I don't need anything in return. I'm just happy you like it!"

"I _love_ it," he corrected her. "But no, I have to get you something! I—just wait here! I'll be right back!"

"What? Chat, it's cold out here! Where are you going?!"

"I'll be right back!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Day 11 (December 11th) – Scarf**

(continued from Day 6 – Gift Wrap and Day 10 – Blanket)

Chat Noir landed in Adrien's room and practically dove for his desk, flinging open drawers.

 _Where was it? Where was it?! He knew he'd put it here some—Oh, it would be so much easier to look without his hands full!_

He went to the bed and flung open his brand-new blanket, spreading it lovingly over his comforter. Then he allowed himself a moment to squeal with delight.

 _It fit perfectly on his bed! AND IT LOOKED SO GOOD! The colors! The craftmanship! HIS LADY WAS SO AMAZING!_

 _And she deserved a present just as amazing!_ He shook himself out of it and started searching again. He'd put the little box away so Plagg would stop beating him with wrapping paper (another good reason not to de-transform right now; Plagg couldn't stop him), but he was sure it was in a drawer here somewhere…

 _Ah ha! Found it!_

He clutched the little box to his chest. He hoped she liked it! _Now, to get back to her! One mustn't keep a lady waiting, after all!_

He spared one last glance at his blanket, warmth flooding him. _Maybe he should take it with him? Ladybug had mentioned she was cold after all… But it looked so good! Like it belonged on his bed! There must be some other way to keep his lady warm…._

A thought struck him, and he ran to his closet. Moments later, Chat Noir was leaping into the night again, two precious items cradled in his arms.

He landed at the Arc de Triomphe and panicked. _Ladybug wasn't here! What if she'd decided not to wait for him? What if she thought he wasn't coming back?! OH NO, HE'D TAKEN TOO LONG! SHE WAS GONNA HATE HIM—_

"There you are, kitty," Ladybug called, swooping down to join him. "I decided to go for a little run to keep warm. What—?" She eyed the items in his arms and gave a cute little giggle. "Couldn't wait to get it home, huh?"

"It looks great!" he agreed, nodding eagerly. "And… for the lady… to keep her warm!" He wrapped his scarf, the gorgeous blue one his father had gotten him for his birthday, around her neck and beamed. "Just as I thought! It really brings out your eyes!"

Ladybug blushed. "Chat…."

"And, of course, your actual gift!" he said, swooping down to one knee and holding up the little box with the gold bow. He could swear that she was blushing even more as she took it and carefully unwrapped it. She froze when she realized it was a jewelry box.

"Chat, I can't accept this," she breathed, her face nearly as red as her costume.

"Of course you can! I mean, I know I don't have the skills or the time to make you something as amazing as your gift, but please…," he begged.

Ladybug reluctantly opened the box and sucked in her breath, staring at the little red and black ring in disbelief. "Chat, this is an engagement ring!"

"No, it's not! Look, I know it's kind of expensive—"

"It's _clearly_ an engagement ring!" Ladybug insisted. "The onyx is even in the shape of a heart!" She gaped at the ring a bit more before looking at her partner with narrowed eyes. "It _is_ an onyx, right?"

Chat gulped. "Black diamond."

"CHAT!"

"It reminded me of you!" he blurted. "See? With the rubies surrounding it, it kinda looks like a ladybug spot!" He gave her a winning smile. Ladybug groaned and buried her face in his scarf.

"I can't accept this!"

"Hey, only the best for my lady! And don't worry, I won't _make_ you wear it or anything…."

"Chat," Ladybug said slowly. Chat Noir turned away, refusing to take his gift back.

"You can even wear it on a chain or something—"

"Chat, where did you get this?" she asked, suddenly stern.

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're worried about," he pouted, turning back to her. _Really, how could she think that he was some sort of cat burgler—_

 _She wasn't even looking at the ring! She was staring at the scarf he'd wrapped around her!_

"That? That's mine," he said, confused. "I got it as a birthday gift."

She looked up at him, her face suddenly pale.

"Who—who did you get it from?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"My father," he answered, still not following. She whimpered softly and slowly backed away from him. "My lady?"

"No no no no no… It can't be. It just can't be," she was mumbling.

"Ladybug? What's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"WHAT?" Chat exclaimed. "No, wait! Please!" he cried, catching her arm before she could let her yoyo fly. "If it means that much to you, I'll take the ring back! I'll get you something else for Christmas! Just don't be mad at me, please!"

"Chat…." _Was it his imagination, or was she trembling in his arms?_ "I'm not mad at you," she finally said. "I—I'm just… I think I just figured out your secret identity." She looked up at him guiltily.

Chat was floored. "HOW?"

Ladybug swallowed, took a deep breath, and visibly steadied herself.

"Because I'm the one who made you that scarf for your birthday."

Chat blinked at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"This isn't funny, Chat! I'm being serious!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"I know! And that's what makes it funnier!" he howled. Still chuckling, he wiped the mirth from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ladybug, but I seriously doubt you're an emotionally-constipated, middle-aged man."

She puffed out her cheeks angrily at him ( _Oh God, she was so cute!_ ) before carefully schooling her face back to normal.

"That's not a very nice thing to say about your father, Adrien."

"Yeah, well—" He froze.

 _OH SHIT, SHE_ _ **DID**_ _KNOW WHO HE WAS!_

He stared at her, barely daring to breathe.

 _If I've had a crush on my father for over a year, I'm going to need sooooo much therapy._

Apparently, the look on his face reflected his inner horror, because Ladybug's own expression softened.

"And no, kitty. I'm not your father," she said, carefully unwrapping the scarf from around her neck. She ran her fingers along it until she found something she was searching for, and held it out for him to see. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but you looked so happy."

He looked down at the part she was offering. There, embroidered in the same color as the light blue yarn (and barely visible), was a familiar signature.

 _Marinette._


	12. Chapter 12

**Day 12 (December 12th) - Traditions**

Her alarm chimed at her, and Marinette smiled. She didn't really need it, but it was nice to know that she wasn't running late for once. In fact, with just a little bit of scheming on her part, this should be the best night ever!

She heard a tell-tale thump on her balcony above, followed by a familiar knock.

"Come on in!" she called, and grinned mischievously.

After that horrible night when they'd confided in each other during the Glaciator incident, she and Chat Noir had found themselves meeting more and more. He'd "just happen" to be passing by. She'd "just happen" to have some leftover pastries.

" _Hey, would you like to talk?"_

It'd gotten more and more regular, and the excuses got fewer and fewer, until they'd finally declared Saturday night to be their own personal movie night (it left Friday night open for sleepovers with Alya, and Sunday she needed to go to bed early for school).

Their own tradition. A close-kept secret that they hid away from the rest of the world.

 _But this year… well, could she help it if their little tradition overlapped with another family tradition?_

Chat Noir dropped into her room with his usual incorrigible smirk.

"Hello, and _Mari_ Christmas!" he said with a bow.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I forget how much I hate that nickname, and then _this_ time of the year rolls around…."

"Aww, but it's cute! Cute. Little. Mari." He playfully flicked her nose and grinned. Marinette tried to fight her own smile, but it was hard with _him_ around. His easy humor had always made her laugh.

"Well, speaking of Christmas," she said, clearing her throat, "I have a proposition, if you're interested."

"Oh?"

"As you know, my parents run a very successful bakery."

"No, really?" Chat said sarcastically. "I couldn't tell from all the delicious smells wafting up here."

"And, as you may know, the key to being successful is to keep the store open when people need it," Marinette continued, ignoring him. "My parents have found that a large number of people discover last-minute that they need pastries or bread on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Problem? Practically nobody is open, because everyone wants to be with their families."

"I sense you're coming to a point."

"So, my parents decided to capitalize on the business they could get by remaining open, and still have a family get-together for Christmas," she explained. "The trick was… simply choose another night to celebrate. We have a feast, play games, and open presents together. And… tonight's that night!"

Chat Noir blinked in surprise. Then he stepped back, his ears already drooping a bit.

"Oh! Well, I don't wanna intrude on your family time…."

"That's just it, Chat!" Marinette said brightly, scooping up a package from her desk and holding it out to him. "I vaguely asked my parents if I could bring a friend this year."

"Vaguely?" He repeated, slowly taking the package.

"I didn't mention who that friend was, so if you decide you don't want to join us, no pressure." She smiled as the package's wrapping paper fell away to reveal a green Santa hat with a black paw print on the front. Chat gave a choked little laugh. "But I'd really like it if you came," she added.

He looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "Well, what are we waiting for?!" he said, eagerly jamming the hat on his head. He laughed a bit when his cat ears poked through the little "ear flaps" she'd added.

"You're amazing, princess. But wait! I don't have any presents!"

"I think your 'presence' will be enough, Chat Noir," Marinette giggled, taking his arm and leading him downstairs.

"Christmas puns!" he said, delighted. "You shouldn't challenge the master, princess, or Yule be sorry!"

Marinette laughed. "Icy what you did there!"

"Just wait," he winked. "There's myrrh."

They were both laughing as they came down the stairs. Tom and Sabine looked up at their arrival. They were only surprised for a moment before their faces burst into welcoming smiles.

"I was wondering when Marinette's friend would arrive," Sabine gushed. "I didn't realize he was already here!"

"Err, yeah…" Chat said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He and Marinette were suddenly very much aware of how shady his upstairs entrance was.

"Do you have any allergies, Chat Noir?" Tom called from where he was stirring a sauce, breaking the tension.

"No, sir! At least, not to any foods."

"Great! Then you and Marinette can set the table. We're almost done here." Tom said jovially. "And after supper, I'm challenging both of you to a battle royale in Mecha Strike III. I need to regain my title!"

"Oh, bring it on, Papa!" Marinette called back, passing a stack of plates to Chat. "Chat here took on a real MX-01 when Gamer was akumatized!"

"Ah, that's right!" her father said, an eager glint in his eye. "I heard about that one on the news! You'll have to give us a first-hand account, my boy!"

"Not much to tell," Chat admitted, following Marinette so she could set the plates where they needed to go. "Ladybug did most of the driving; I just followed orders."

"Oh, please! Do you know how many times I _died_ just trying to figure out those controls?"

Marinette shared a wink with her mother as her father continued to banter with Chat. They'd cornered her earlier about having someone over on Saturdays (apparently, their last movie night hadn't been quiet enough) and she'd had to confess. She hadn't told them much about her "friend," just that he didn't have a very good home life and would likely be alone for Christmas. They'd instantly jumped at the chance to invite him over officially.

And honestly, she should've known he'd get along so well with her father. They'd already started gaming puns.

She truly hoped Chat became a permanent fixture in their holiday traditions. And from the big smile growing on his face, he did too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Day 13 (December 13th) - Hot Chocolate Mustache**

"Adrien?" A familiar voice called. "Adrien Agreste?"

Still sipping his drink, he turned to see who was calling his name. That turned out to be a mistake.

It was _her_. And one glance of _her_ had him sucking in a breath. Unfortunately… well, humans aren't made to breathe liquid. Especially not _hot_ liquid. So….

Gasp.

Choke.

Cough.

Spew out remaining liquid in mouth.

And be reduced to a wheezing mess of a man who'd forgotten how to breathe.

"OhmyGod, Adrien! I'm so sorry!"

"Are you all right, sir?"

"Eww, gross, it got all over my coat!"

"Geez, some people!"

"Sir?"

"Adrien? Adrien?! Are you okay?" Marinette's voice broke through the rest of the noise as he finally got a hold of himself.

"Yeah. Yeah. Sorry," he coughed, the last of the drink finally leaving his system.

"No, _I'm_ sorry!" she insisted. "Oh, look at you! You're a mess! I'm so sorry I startled you. I'll clean this up, sir," she said. Adrien looked up to see her addressing the waiter who'd come to check on him. "And I'll buy him a new drink. And those ladies as well. I'm so, so sorry!" She continued to apologize to the people closest to them. _Even though,_ he thought ruefully, _it wasn't her fault in the first place._

 _Ladybug saves the day again, huh?_ He grimaced at the thought.

And then, almost as if his thoughts had forced their way into everyone else's minds….

"OMG, you're _Ladybug_!"

"Oh wow, Ladybug! Hey, forget the drink, can we take a selfie with you?!"

"Well…."

"Oh, please, Ladybug! Please!"

Adrien vaguely wondered if it would be possible to sneak out while she was distracted. He glanced over and waited for her back to be turned… _there_! He slid out of his chair and headed for the door. With a sigh of relief, he made it outside.

 _What a day. Seeing her again was bad enough, but then he'd had to go make an absolute_ _ **fool**_ _of himself!_

"Adrien, wait! Please!"

He jerked to a stop at the sound of her voice. _Damn it. He'd almost gotten away too._ Vaguely, he wondered what she'd think if he just burst into a run.

Too late. She was already at his elbow. And, as always, his manners won.

"Hey," he said.

Marinette stopped short. "Hey," she said, her voice quiet. She gave him a nervous, hopeful smile. "You forgot your drink." She handed him a cup. He took it automatically.

"Thanks."

"So… I, um… I haven't seen you around lately," she said, fishing for conversation.

"I haven't _been_ around much lately," he replied.

"Right. Right! You've been travelling all over! Are you having fun?"

He shrugged. "It's work."

Her shoulders slumped further and further at each of his short, pointed answers. Part of him wanted to crack and ask his old friend how she'd been these past few years.

But the other part just wanted— _ugh, he didn't even know! Did he want to make her squirm? Make her go away? Start running away himself?_

"I'm sorry again," Marinette said quietly. "I must be making you uncomfortable."

A part of Adrien saw red. _How dare she try to play the victim?!_

"You sent my father to jail," he pointed out. "I really don't know what you want me to say."

"He was hurting people, Adrien!" Marinette cried.

"I know. I didn't say it was wrong. It's just—"

 _You stopped my mother from coming back. You took away what was left of my family! And then—THEN you had the gall to protect_ _ **me**_ _and get your own identity revealed in the process!_

" _CHAT, RUN!"_

" _But, my lady—"_

" _I'll take care of it, just go!"_

 _And now, everyone loves you. Adores you. You're the heroine who saved Paris! And I…_

 _I have nothing._

"—it's complicated," he finished awkwardly.

"It doesn't have to be," Marinette said, hope creeping into her voice again. "We used to be such good friends. You have to know I never meant to hurt you!"

"Of course not." Now supremely uncomfortable, he took a drink. _Mmm, hot chocolate._ He didn't even know how she'd known what he'd ordered before, but she'd sure gotten it right. He glanced at her when she let out a giggle.

Caught, Marinette gave him an apologetic smile. "You've got a bit of a…" She gestured around her mouth. "…hot chocolate mustache."

 _Great. As if he hadn't made enough of a fool of himself around her!_ He quickly wiped his face.

"Is that stubble I see?"

He froze. Trust a designer with an eye for details to notice!

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"Doesn't Gab—ahem— _your modeling agency_ have a clean-shaven policy?" she asked, probing with a curious look on her face.

He nodded, and then decided to cut her some slack. They'd danced around the issue long enough as it was.

"My father has this long-standing belief that facial hair is tacky and unrefined," he explained. "So, whenever I go to visit him, I make sure not to shave for a couple weeks beforehand."

Marinette's face softened. "Oh. You still visit him, then?"

"It's Christmas." He paused for a moment before adding. "And he's the only family I've got."

There was another awkward silence between them.

"You must really hate me, huh?" she asked quietly.

"What?! No!" he exclaimed. "I don't! I swear! It's just—"

 _I'm hurting and you're the easiest target! I mean, I'm glad you brought the bad guy down, but I hate that it had to be my own father! I still miss my mom! And I both hate and love that you're Ladybug; it's made me scream into my pillow more than once!_

 _This frustration! This_ _ **despair**_ _!_

 _I hate that I'm Chat Noir! I thought I was someone you could depend on! Someone you needed! But, in the end, you saved me, along with everyone else! And I'm grateful—but…_

 _But part of me was hoping the bad guy would win._

 _And what kind of superhero does that make me? One who needed to be saved!_

He covered his face with his hand, trying to stop this onslaught of unwanted thoughts.

"—It's complicated," he mumbled.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it—I've had to change my number at least five times now, people are crazy—but I'd love to talk to you again," Marinette said, holding out a business card to him.

He regarded it with a wry smile. "You sure you wanna give your number to the son of Hawkmoth?" he asked.

"I'm not giving it to the son of Hawkmoth," Marinette replied, her tone serious. He glanced at her.

Poised.

Confident.

 _Ladybug._

"I'm giving it to my friend, Adrien Agreste, whom I'd dearly love to hear from again."

His heart warming a bit by her words, Adrien finally took the card. "Thanks, Marinette."

"I'll see you around, okay?" she said.

He nodded and waved, waiting until she was out of sight before throwing the card in the nearest trashcan.


	14. Chapter 14

**Day 14 (December 14th) - "It's too cold for this"**

 _(continued from 13 – "Hot Chocolate Mustache")_

"It's too cold for this," Adrien muttered under his breath, continuing to smile his model smile for the cameras.

Coming to Paris for Christmas meant that he got to see his father (and Nathalie) during the holidays, but it also meant that he was obligated to go to Chloé's annual Christmas Gala. It was the social event of the season; a party held in honor of Paris's heroes, while all the proceeds went to charity.

And as the heir to his father's company, well, a lot of people would be in financial ruin if rumors started (again) that he wasn't 100% behind Paris's heroes and the downfall of Hawkmoth.

So, for them, he would smile his bright smile on the red carpet set on the freezing snow. He'd buy one of the biggest, most expensive items up for auction, greet the heroes of Paris, thank them once again for their service…

And hopefully get very, very drunk tonight in his hotel room.

 _How much egg could an egg nog nog if an egg nog could nog egg?_ He quipped to himself, allowing his laughter to shine through for the cameras. If he'd still been Chat Noir, he could've told that one to Ladybug to see if he could make her laugh…

 _Speak of the devil,_ he thought, as twin streaks of gold and red streaked overhead. The crowd erupted into cheers and screams as Ladybug and Queen Bee landed on the red carpet.

"And here they are! The two most powerful women in Paris!" he heard Nadja cry behind him.

The two superheroines nodded at each other and de-transformed in sync. The crowd went wild. This time, Adrien couldn't blame them. They both looked stunning; Chloé in glittering gold with a sexy black streak running through her hair, and Marinette in a gorgeous, elegant red number that she'd obviously designed herself. She'd even used black accessories, as a nod to her alter ego, including a tiny gold bell on a black choker.

Adrien had to look away.

By all reports, she'd searched for him for weeks after Hawkmoth's capture. She'd done interviews, exclusives… practically begging Chat Noir to come forward. There'd been a few copycats, but his lady had seen through them all.

 _Not that it had mattered._

He'd known exactly when Master Fu must've told her that the Cat Ring had been returned. She'd started wearing that choker to any event she'd needed to attend as Ladybug. She'd stopped looking for him.

 _It was for the best._

He turned to head inside. Now that the guests of honor were here, the party could begin. Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Chat Noir's identities had never been revealed to the public, but they were always included on the guest list.

"Adrien Agreste!" He froze on the spot as her voice sang out to him, far too close for comfort. He turned, and sure enough, Marinette was coming towards him, her arms open for an embrace, and big smile on her face. She kissed his cheek before he could react. "I know you don't want to talk to me," she whispered in his ear, "but smile nicely for the cameras now."

As ordered, he beamed at her as they pulled apart. "Always great to see you, Marinette!" he said cheerfully. "And you look amazing! Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes, I did, you charmer!" she gushed, taking his arm. She was far more flirty than she'd ever been with him before. Maybe his stock was going down or something. The cameras around them flashed.

"Ladybug! Ladybug! Does this mean you are dating Adrien Agreste?"

"How does the Heroine of Paris know the son of Hawkmoth?!"

"Ladybug! What does this mean for your relationship with local rockstar, Luka Couffaine?!"

Adrien ground his teeth harder and harder at each question being thrown at them. Fortunately, Marinette was used to this by now.

"Oh, come on, Alec!" she gushed, laughing at the reporter. "It's public record that Adrien and I went to school together!" She gave his arm a squeeze and gazed up at him adoringly. Adrien took her cue and smiled back at her. "And Nadja," she admonished, giving the other woman a slight frown. "Luka and I parted as friends, as you well know. I even designed a couple of his tour outfits before he left! Now, if you'll excuse us…."

She waved to the crowd and tugged Adrien towards the door. Still cold, he didn't resist, even when he heard her soft voice, meant only for him.

"You never called."

"I've been busy," he grunted, waving at the last of the reporters.

To his dismay, she tightened her grip on him and as soon as they were in the main room, she steered him towards a side door _. Oh no, not a private talk…._ Sure enough, she dragged him into a hall meant for servers, and closed the door behind them.

 _Damn._

"Oh my, Ladybug, how forward!" he joked, trying to lighten the mood. "If you wanted a kiss from me, we could've just found a mistle—"

"Stuff it, Agreste," she snarled, her eyes dark in the low light.

Finally, he dropped his happy façade. "Then what do you want from me?" he asked, glaring right back at her.

"The truth! I've _always_ , _only_ wanted the truth from you!" she exclaimed.

He regarded her for a moment. "I'm fine," he finally said, turning away. "I'm happy you defeated Hawkmoth and saved the—"

"Adrien!" Marinette cried, exasperated. "I've been studying pictures of you since we were _fourteen_! Your shoulders are stiff! You've got that little stress-wrinkle in between your eyes—"

"I have a wrinkle?"

"—You are obviously _not fine_! Please!" she stepped closer to him, trying to get back in his line of sight. "I want to help you! Just tell me what I can do!"

 _Oh, that was_ _ **it**_ _._ The stress of the past few days. The pressure building inside him whenever he saw someone from his past….

" _You have to know I never meant to hurt you!"_

" _I did it all for_ _ **you**_ _, Adrien."_

" _Your father loves you, he really does. He just… doesn't know how to show it."_

" _CHAT, RUN!"_

"STOP PROTECTING ME!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the wall beside them. Marinette stepped back, her eyes wide. Chest heaving, he forced himself to calm down a bit before speaking again. "I—I don't…"

 _He couldn't, could he? Should he?_

 _Did he dare?_

"That was _**my**_ job," he breathed. Marinette blinked up at him, all innocence and sweetness, and— _HOW did all that power and bravery and_ _ **goodness**_ _get wrapped into something so tiny and fragile-looking?!_

" _I_ was supposed to protect _you_ , bugaboo. Not the other way around."

* * *

TBC... (on the 21st)


	15. Chapter 15

**Day 15 (December 15th) - Decorations**

 _(continued from 4 - "All I Want For Christmas" and 8 – Christmas Music)_

* * *

" _Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree…."_

Gabriel heard the tell-tale click from his wife's shoes behind him, but tried in vain to focus on the Christmas tree in front of him. _Red decorations._ He'd been warned to avoid the color if at all possible. At least, until the memories of the superheroine had safely faded.

But then he'd gone and forgotten _why_ they needed to forget the girl so thoroughly!

He felt Emilie's hand on his shoulder, gently turning him towards her. _He could never deny her anything._ He gave her a mournful smile as he turned, but she just held out her hands.

"Dance with me, Gabriel."

He chuckled as he allowed her to pull him close and start swaying. She'd started this, but easily followed his lead into a gentle two-step.

"I never meant to hurt him."

"I know, my love," Emilie said, brushing his hair back lovingly. _God, this woman. She made everything worth it. She made_ _ **living**_ _worth it._ So sweet and full of life… with a fierce protective streak, as he was reminded when her gaze hardened.

"You may not have meant to, Gabriel, but he's hurting. _Our son_ is hurting. We need to correct this."

Gabriel swallowed. "Would it help at all if I told you she went into it willingly?"

Emilie just raised an eyebrow.

"She loved him," he admitted, wetting his lips. "So very much. And as soon as she found out that what I was doing would help him—would bring _you_ back for him…." He trailed off.

"I like her already."

"So did I, honestly," Gabriel said, sharing a smile with his wife. "She was a designer, too."

"Yes, I caught that." Emilie pursed her lips. "And she was clever enough to have caught _you_. Take it from the top, love."

"I don't know if I can. I had Mnemosyne erase so much…."

"Mnemosyne?"

"My akuma," Gabriel explained. The memories were slowly coming back as he forced himself to talk about them. "A woman who wanted to forget her past. My plan was ridiculously simple. Make Ladybug and Chat Noir forget that they were even fighting me, and then convince them they should give me their Miraculouses. I honestly didn't expect it to work…."

"But it did?"

Gabriel nodded. "More or less. The woman I akumatized, she must've been desperate, to fight that hard…."

"What did she want to forget?"

"Her family. They recently died in a car crash. She didn't want to bring them back, like I did. She just wanted to forget." Gabriel shook his head, unable to comprehend it. "She brought Ladybug and Chat Noir to me… and I think… he handed me his ring and… de-transformed. Yes, that's why I had Mnemosyne make me forget. I knew I'd feel guilty if I knew Adrien was Chat Noir. Now I remember. I think the shock of it knocked Ladybug out of her trance. But instead of fighting, she just looked at me, looked at Adrien, and started negotiating."

"You were de-transformed too?"

"Yes, I'd been reaching for their jewels to save you. I didn't think it'd work if I still had Nooroo."

"Oh, Gabriel," Emilie sighed, giving him a quick hug as they continued to sway to the music.

"There was too much magic floating around after that," Gabriel said, shaking his head to try to remember more. "I'm trying… We had Mnemosyne take Adrien upstairs and erase his memories. And by the time she came back… we were done. You were still unconscious, but breathing normally, and I was helping Marinette into the incubator..." He swallowed. "Her last request was that I make Mnemosyne completely erase her existence. She didn't want anybody to miss her."

Emilie tightened her grip on him, and he returned her hug gratefully. Of all the scenarios he'd envisioned with his final showdown against Ladybug and Chat Noir, this wasn't one he'd even considered. Power was meant to be _taken_ , not given so freely. So selflessly.

"… _but I'll have a blue, blue Christmas."_

"Her eyes and hair were two different shades of blue," Gabriel murmured, remembering how Adrien had stared at the tree that morning. "I think that's what tweaked his memory of her."

"And she's still down there?" his wife asked. He nodded. Her gaze hardened again. "I want to see her."

"So do I!"

Gabriel and Emilie both started, looking over to the entryway. Adrien stood there, his fists clenched as he glared at them both.

"Adrien," his father breathed. "You're supposed to be in school."

"And Marinette's supposed to sit right behind me," Adrien countered, stomping towards them. "Right next to her best friend Alya, who runs the Ladyblog as a homage to Paris's superhero, Ladybug. Only, Alya has never heard of Ladybug! She sits alone, and writes articles about little things going on around town. None of which have to do with superheroes. She said it'd be awesome if Paris had its own superhero, though!"

"Oh, Adrien…," Emilie said, her hand coming up to stroke his hair.

Adrien looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I'm happy you're back. Really, I am! But," he looked away, "but I just got back from the bakery where she used to live. And they're so different, Mom! Quieter. Not as…. I remember them, and they used to be so happy! But they don't remember her either. Her mom thinks she had a miscarriage and never tried again! I—"

He turned to Gabriel. "Please, Father. It's just not right!" Gabriel looked away.

Emilie put her hands on her son's shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "Let's go see her, okay? All of us. Would you like that, sweetie?"

Adrien nodded.

Gabriel didn't think it was a good idea, but from the look on his wife's face, he wasn't going to get a say in this. So, he simply nodded.

"This way," he said, leading them into his study.

* * *

 _(TBC...)_


	16. Chapter 16

**Day 16 (December 16th) - "It's past midnight"**

 _RING RING! RING RING!_

Nino groaned and rolled over on his bed. Who could possibly be calling this late? He looked at the screen.

 _Oh._

"Alya," he groaned, answering it. "It's past midnight."

" _IthinkIknowwhoLadybugandChatNoirare!"_

Nino was _not_ awake enough for this. "What?"

" _Ladybug and Chat Noir! I think I've figured out their identities!"_ Alya squealed.

"That's great, babe," Nino said, flopping down and barely biting back a groan. "Did you also figure out how to end your lit. paper?" As he recalled, that was what she'd been working on earlier tonight. Or, what she was _supposed_ to be working on.

" _Who cares! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT_ _ **LADYBUG**_ _HERE!"_

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure she's not gonna Lucky Charm you a passing grade."

" _OMG! This is, like, the scoop of the century!"_ Alya continued to gush. Nino shook his head at his phone, grinning. She was so passionate about everything she did. That was one of the things he loved about her.

" _And you'll never guess who they are! Go on, guess!"_

"Marinette and Adrien."

" _WHA—?! HOW'D YOU GUESS?"_

"Babe," Nino said, rubbing his forehead. "Unless they're using every _single_ akuma attack to hide in a closet somewhere and make out, there's no reason for either of them to leave class half as much as they do. And considering how much they blushed the last time we tried to get them to _hold hands_ , there's nothing going on in _that_ department."

" _Ugh, I know, right! I even got them under the mistletoe before Marinette pointed out it was just holly. Ugh, I could strangle that girl!"_

"One ship at a time, Al," Nino chuckled.

" _Right, right. Gah, how long have you known?"_

"Awhile," Nino admitted. "So, if you're actually planning on telling them you know their secret identities, please teach them how to lie. Some of their excuses are just… ugh."

" _No kidding there. Geez, now I'm mad it took me so long!"_ Alya grumbled.

"What tipped you off?"

" _I found a tiny Santa hat in Marinette's stuff that she insisted was for one of her dolls, but it doesn't fit any of them. And I've caught both of them talking to their bags before,"_ Alya said. _"I mean, I've been hearing Marinette talk to someone named 'Tikki' for months. Girl thinks she's being discreet, but…."_ she sighed. _"I have to give her_ _ **some**_ _credit. I didn't put two and two together until I got a kwami of my own and realized who she might be talking to._

" _Adrien, though,"_ his girlfriend continued. _"I've been trying to convince her he's Chat Noir ever since the beginning. Mmm hmm. Boy is fly."_

"I think I'm jealous," Nino teased.

" _Oh, don't even try!"_ she shot back. _"You and I both know if he swung that way, you'd totally tap that!"_

"I think I'm gonna invoke the bro code and keep my silence on this one. Besides, aren't you feeling kinda awkward, knowing how many times you gushed to Mari about 'that Lady-butt?'"

Nino fought his laughter down as the line went silent.

" _Oh my God, I did, didn't I,"_ Alya finally muttered. _"That poor girl! I owe her such a big apology!"_

"In your defense, babe, it was all good stuff."

" _Still!"_

"On a more important note," Nino said, trying to divert her attention now he sensed a breakdown coming. "How are we gonna get them together, now that you know all your ships are on one very-unstable boat?"

" _I hadn't thought about it yet,"_ Alya admitted.

"My girlfriend hasn't thought about matchmaking our two best friends?" Nino gasped in mock-surprise. "Who are you and what have you done with Alya?! Did you get akumatized? Tell me something only the real Alya would know!"

" _Dork,"_ Alya laughed. _"Fine. I know that you secretly hate André's coconut ice cream, but you've never said anything because you didn't want me to think our love wasn't 'meant to be.'"_

"WHA—?" Nino stared at his phone in shock. "H-how did you know that?"

" _Um, investigative reporter here? I pay attention!"_

"Uh huh, says the girl who was the last to figure out Ladybug's identity."

He could almost hear Alya's glare through the phone. _"You're lucky I like you, Lahiffe,"_ she growled.

"Yes, I am," Nino agreed. Then he sobered a bit. "And I'm sorry if I offended you with the ice cream."

" _I thought it was sweet, actually. You're always so thoughtful."_

Nino wanted to kiss his phone. _Aww, he was going to give her the biggest hug_ _ **ever**_ _when he saw her tomorrow!_

"So, uhh," he cleared his throat before he could start crying from all this sap. "What do you wanna do about Mari and Adrien?"

" _Ugh, I dunno!"_ Alya groaned _. "I always thought it'd be great to be the first to post it, but… Geez, now that_ _ **we've**_ _been superheroes too, I kinda get what Mari was saying, you know? Hawkmoth could hunt her down as soon as he knew her identity! Nadja sure wouldn't leave her alone!"_

"Yeah, and can you imagine the fans who'd be following her everywhere?!" Nino added.

" _I'd love to see the look on Chloé's face, though."_

Nino laughed. "Same."

His girlfriend sighed _. "So, I guess I'm gonna do… nothing. Maybe thank her for giving me the fox miraculous when she knew she needed help, but—"_

"How about we ramp up our game to get the two lovebirds together?" Nino suggested. A few ideas involving supply closets, missed lunch dates, or him shooting a mini-film on fashion design floated through his head. All for Adrien's sake, of course.

" _See, this is why I love you and your scheming mind!"_ Alya squealed. _"All right, lay some ideas on me!"_

"Okay, but first," Nino smirked. "How far are you on that lit. paper?"

Alya shrieked a swear word (that probably woke up her whole house) and the line promptly went dead.


	17. Chapter 17

**Day 17 (December 17th) - "You have the space heater"**

A knock on the door this late at night was unusual, but Kim wasn't really surprised when he saw who'd come calling.

"I apologize for the intrusion, especially at such a late hour," Max said, adjusting his glasses. "However, due to the sudden blackout across the city, I find myself in an unfortunate predicament. You see, the power loss occurred while I was updating Markov's inner workings—which are, as you know, delicate—and quite sensitive to extreme heat or cold and—"

"And I have a space heater," Kim finished, grinning at his friend.

Max nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, the rest of his long-winded explanation now unnecessary. "And you have the space heater."

"C'mon in, buddy," his tall friend said, leading the way into the house. Compared to the rest of Paris, the apartment was both warm and bright. (There were, of course, extension cords everywhere, and the sound of the generator was quite loud.) "So, your dad still refuses to get a generator, huh?"

"To my great displeasure," Max affirmed, taking off his boots and coat. "He still maintains that the statistics of needing such a device are at least 5% below what he would even consider to be the bare minimum threshold."

"He doesn't take the akumas into account, does he?" Kim said, grinning at his friend's dry tone.

"No. Again, against my advice."

"Welp, Ladybug and Chat Noir should have it under control soon. 'Til then, you can clean off my desk and work on the little guy there. Do you want some hot chocolate?"

"Oh yes, please," Max said, grateful, taking his tools and the partially-dismantled Markov into Kim's room as directed. He only cleaned off part of the desk, however; it looked like Kim had actually been studying for once. He didn't want to interfere.

He did, however, want to get his _other_ best friend up and running again, so he went to work immediately. By the time Kim got back, Markov's basic functions were back to normal and his optical lenses were blinking at Max as he worked on the last of the upgrades.

"So, what'd Markov wanna change about himself this time?" Kim asked, leaning into Max's personal space. Max, used to this, simply shifted to show him.

"I has evolved thumbs. UR days is numbered," Markov said, clicking his new "fingers". Max had added a whole new arm, giving his mechanical friend a total of two. The little robot's screen face made a little =^.^= face. Kim raised an eyebrow. Markov's expression cleared. "I have also been learning about memes. Shall I tell you about cheeseburgers?"

"You're about ten years too late!" Kim laughed. "Have Max teach you some Fortnite dances instead!"

"Kim," Max growled. "No."

"Awww…."

"I see you've started on your worksheet," Max said, not even trying to be subtle about changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah. That," Kim said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I've been trying to work on it for hours now, but I just can't concentrate."

"Well, maybe I can help," Max offered, screwing the last of Markov's panels shut. "Why don't you go get your dumbbells and I'll shoot questions at you while you work out."

"Awesome! You're the best, Max!" Kim said eagerly.

It was a system they'd worked out before. Kim wasn't stupid, he just had a lot of energy and a hard time focusing unless he was doing something physical. Of course, reading while bouncing was next to impossible, but if Max was reading the material to him, he could work out and focus at the same time.

It took less than half an hour to get the worksheet done, even in the low light of Kim's lamp.

"Wow, it's getting really late," Kim commented, doing the last of his stretches. "I'm surprised we haven't seen a swarm of ladybugs go by yet."

"Hopefully, Ladybug and Chat Noir are doing all right," Max agreed. He'd long since finished his hot chocolate and, even with the space heater, he was starting to shiver again.

"It looks like it's still snowing out there, too," Kim said, looking out his window. "Do you wanna stay here for the night? There's only my bed to sleep on, but Mom says I'm like my own heater whenever we curl up for movie night."

Max thought about the cold, dark trek back to his cold, dark house and shuddered. "Thank you, Kim. I'd much rather stay here with you."

Decision made, they turned out the lights and got under the covers. True to his word, Kim was very warm.

"And there was only one bed…," Markov muttered lowly.

Kim and Max looked at him, looked at each other, and quickly looked away, blushing.

"Wha-what kind of memes are you letting him look at?!" Kim stammered.

"I don't know what he gets up to when I'm in class!" Max protested. He cleared his throat and placed his glasses on the nightstand, turning his back on his friend as he pretended to go to sleep.

"Markov, you're banned from Ao3 for a week," he hissed a few minutes later, when he was sure Kim was unconscious.

Markov let out a low, sad whine.


	18. Chapter 18

**Day 18 (December 18th) - Winter Wonderland**

 _(continued from 4 - "All I Want For Christmas," 8 – Christmas Music, and 15 - Decorations)_

* * *

Emilie kept her hands on Adrien's shoulders while her husband led them into the study. She hadn't been gone _nearly_ long enough for her son to have aged _this_ much. His eyes screamed that he'd gone through hell.

Well, now that she was here, she was going to do her best to bring back the innocent, happy child she'd left behind!

She chuckled in Adrien's ear when Gabriel went up to the gold painting on his wall.

"It's _awful_ , isn't it?" she whispered, gesturing at the painting, just loud enough for her husband to hear as well. "I told him to put in more blues and greens. But noooo, it had to be _goooold_ …."

"It is _supposed_ to be reminiscent of a famous painting by _Gustav Klimt_ ," Gabriel said through gritted teeth, glaring back at her. From the twinkle in his eye, she could tell he understood what she was doing.

"Sure, honey," she grinned back at him. As soon as his back was turned, she whispered again in Adrien's ear, " _Goooooold_ …."

Adrien cracked a smile.

 _Yes! Mom for the win!_

"Come forward," Gabriel said. "We'll need to be close together; I never meant to bring more than one person down at a time."

Emilie winced when Adrien automatically shied away from touching his father, even as they all tried to group tightly together. Then Gabriel pushed some specific parts on the painting and suddenly, they were going down.

"Do I need to ask why you felt the need to 'push my buttons' to get into your Evil Lair™?" she quipped at her husband.

Gabriel snorted and was about to reply in turn, but he caught sight of Adrien's stormy expression and closed his mouth, choosing to remain silent.

Emilie pursed her lips together in frustration. _These two!_

Finally, the little elevator stopped and Gabriel led them forward into some sort of underground courtyard. It was creepy. And green. And some sort of mix between a vampire horror story and steampunk, Emilie decided. And really, with just a few décor changes, she could easily change it into something much more pleasant. Like a winter wonderland. Yes… ice over that sickly-looking water, deck the metal parts with garland and tinsel…. Maybe some twinkling lights, but the lanterns Gabriel had up were kind of neat in their own way….

"So, you and your friend were superheroes together, hmm?" she said, trying to get Adrien to talk as they walked. "That must've been fun."

"We didn't know," Adrien said quietly. "She thought— _we_ thought it'd be too dangerous to know each other's identities. Especially if _Hawkmoth_ got a hold of one of us." He practically spat the name out.

 _Aaand he was glaring at his father again._ Emilie sighed.

"It was a good plan," Gabriel said finally, not looking back. "You two evaded me for quite some time."

"Not that it mattered in the end," Adrien muttered.

Emilie was about two seconds from forcing them to kiss and make up when she saw the setup ahead.

"Oh, how cute! A little garden for me, Gabriel?" she exclaimed, looking at all the trees. It wouldn't go with her winter wonderland idea, but maybe if they hung some lights or baubles—it could be a sort-of spring paradise in the middle of winter!

"I thought you'd like it," her husband said, slowing down to walk beside her and slip his arm around her waist. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 _This man. Cold and aloof, maybe, but deep down, he truly cared about her and their family._

Adrien, as uncomfortable with his parents' show of affection as any child would be, sped up ahead of them. And she could tell the moment his eyes found what he was searching for.

"Marinette!" he cried, breaking into a run. Emilie's eyes followed his progress as he sprinted to the incubator in the middle of the tiny garden.

Despite this whole awful situation, her mischievous mind made her smile.

"Oh, _Big Bad_ ," she murmured so only her husband could hear. "Your arch-nemesis is a tiny slip of a girl in pigtails? I'm soo teasing you about this for the rest of our lives!"

"You don't understand," Gabriel retorted. "She was brilliant! She could take on five villains at once! I once watched her make a fishing pole out of a spoon!"

Emilie snickered.

"She really was amazing," Adrien said, staring at the girl in the tube. He put his hand on the glass, wishing he could touch her. Emilie's heart melted at the longing on his face. "So smart. And so kind and selfless… all the time."

"Oh Adrien, she's lovely," she said, coming up behind him and giving him a quick hug. "What was her name again? Marinette? Well, thank you for taking care of my son, Marinette." She touched the glass of the incubator as well, hoping to convey her own feelings of gratitude.

"It's not fair," Adrien whispered. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" he cried. He whirled on his father. "Take me instead! I'll take her place!"

"Adrien!" his mother gasped.

"Please, Mom!" Adrien begged. "You'll love her! She smart and sweet, and everything you could hope for in a daughter! And Dad," he turned to his father, "she's a designer, just like you! She could succeed you one day! You and I both know I'm not interested in the company! She's everything you could ever want in an heir!"

"She's not _you_ ," Gabriel said gruffly.

"I'm useless!" Adrien wailed. "Replaceable! _She's_ the one you—"

Emilie cut off her son's cry, pulling him into a fierce hug. "You are _my son_!" she whispered in his ear. "You will _never_ be replaceable! Or useless! So you can just stop that right now!"

Adrien choked and began to sob, clutching her desperately.

"Plagg. _Plagg_. _Plagg_! I want Plagg at least! Please!"

"Plagg?" Emilie asked, looking up at her husband.

"His kwami, I believe," Gabriel said, going over to a small table with three white boxes on it. He selected one and opened it. A flash of light later and a tiny, black cat hovered in the air. It hissed out a Chinese swearword at Gabriel before noticing the blond boy.

"Adrien!"

"Plagg!"

Emilie released her son, and he dove to meet the tiny cat halfway, cradling him against his shirt, both of them muttering nonsense and apologies at each other as they sank to the floor. Gabriel met her gaze.

"I'm _not_ giving him the ring," he said flatly.

 _Yeah, let's keep the power of Destruction_ _ **away**_ _from the emotional teenager,_ Emilie agreed.

"All right, you three," she said, clapping her hands together. "I think we can all agree that nobody likes the situation as it is."

"Emilie, I'm not losing you again!" Gabriel said, looking alarmed.

"Mom…" Adrien started, also looking uncertain.

"Well, _somebody_ has to pay the price," Plagg sniped, still looking grumpy.

"Look," Emilie said, exasperated. " _You_ two," she pointed at Adrien and Plagg, "may be Destruction incarnate, and you," she looked at her husband, "may be the all-powerful supervillain, but at the end of the day, _I_ am the one in charge of this family. So, you're all going to sit down and listen to my plan. Understood?"

* * *

 _A/N: (One more in this storyline!)_


	19. Chapter 19

**Day 19 (December 19th) - Holly**

 _(continued from Day 6 – Gift Wrap, Day 10 – Blanket, and Day 11 - Scarf)_

* * *

Ladybug waited with bated breath as Chat Noir (Adrien!) looked at the scarf. He looked up at her, then back down to the scarf, and then back up to her again.

"Marinette?" he asked quietly. She nodded. He sucked in a deep breath and then started pacing frantically, muttering to himself.

 _She could relate! She was pretty sure she was in shock, otherwise she'd be joining him over there!_

After a minute, he stopped and looked at her again, as though to reassure himself that she was still there. Ladybug waved. Chat blinked, and brought his hand up to his mouth, biting down on his knuckle.

Then he emitted what could only be described as a mini-scream. Like he didn't want to alarm anyone, but couldn't quite hold it all inside. Ladybug nodded; she could empathize. She was about two seconds away from a mental breakdown herself.

"Marinette? You're Marinette. I mean, of course you're Marinette—this makes so much sense," he babbled. "You're amazing and smart and clever and brave and— _ahhhhhhh_!"

He let out that little mini-scream again. It was kinda cute, and Ladybug was thinking about stealing it. She was about due for her own freak-out here.

Chat was staring at her again, and still biting his knuckle. He looked torn. _Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to read his thoughts right now!_

He appeared to come to a decision and let out a long, shuddering breath. Ladybug reflexively clutched the little box he'd given her. _Whatever he said next—_

"I take it back."

She blinked. "Huh?" He gulped and glanced down at the box in her hands, then back up to her face.

 _Oh. He wanted his ring back. Of course. That was understandable. She was no longer just his beloved, fearless partner. She was his classmate, who he saw trip over her own feet on a daily basis and who couldn't formulate a complete sentence in his presence._

 _Still, it hurt a bit,_ she thought, clutching the box one last time. _He'd just been saying such nice things about her and then—_

"I take it back," he repeated. "That _**is**_ an engagement ring!"

"WHAT?!" Ladybug nearly fell over in shock.

"Yeah," Chat said, nodding, his eyes wide and frantic. "And I want you to wear it—all day, every day—and marry me, and date me, and kiss me—wait, that's not the right order—umm…." He was babbling again.

She burst out laughing. "Chat, you dork!" _Geez, he'd really given her a scare there!_

"I'm being serious!" he insisted. He bit his lip and started muttering again. "Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad!"

 _Aaand the hurt was back._

"It's not _that_ bad that I'm Marinette, is it?" she asked quietly.

"Are you kidding me? It's awful!" he cried, his eyes wild again. " _Ladybug_ is distant and untouchable, but _Marinette_ has people asking her out all the time!"

"What?! No, I don't!"

He gave her a flat stare. "Nino. Luka."

"That is _two_ guys in the space of a _year_ ," she said, unimpressed.

"Nathaniel."

"He was akumatized!"

"Theo."

"He—WHAT?! What are you talking about?"

"Oh, um… nevermind," Chat said, looking uneasy.

"Besides, you're one to talk!" she shot back, gesturing to him. "Adrien Agreste has girls stalking him all the time!"

"What?! No, I don't!"

"Adrien," she said, giving him the same flat stare he'd just given her. "You have a _bodyguard_."

"That was not my idea!"

"And I seem to recall an incident where we had to go to the movies _in disguise_ ," she added, folding her arms.

"Haha, yeah, that was fun—Hey!" His eyes lit up and he looked her up and down. "I've seen Ladybug's pajamas!" he said gleefully.

"Dork," Ladybug said, shaking her head. The smirk didn't leave his face. "You're imagining my hair in that towel, aren't you?"

Chat nodded shamelessly.

"Ugh, I'm out," she groaned, flinging her yoyo.

"Hey, wait!" he cried, chasing her onto the rooftops. She kept going, leading him on a merry chase through town, hoping to lose him.

Problem was, he was just as magically-powered as she was, and he loved to hunt her.

"Chat!" she finally said, whirling around on a rooftop to face him. "As much as I like to spend time with you, I need to go have my own freak-out about our identities—"

"Go ahead!" he said cheerfully, slinging his baton across his shoulders.

"—and I'd really rather not have you there."

"Aww," he pouted. "Why not?"

"There's going to be lots of screaming."

"That's understandable," he nodded. Then he paused. "Wait, no it's not! You've never had a problem with me before! Is… is Adrien bad?" He asked uncertainly, his eyes big and pouty.

Ladybug barely refrained from screaming.

 _I feel like I just kicked a kitten._

"No, Adrien, you're not bad," she said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

She sucked in her breath, and then… she couldn't take it anymore. She let out the little mini-scream. Chat blinked at her, and then laughed.

"I think I know what to get you next year. You sound like a tea-kettle!"

"You're one to talk!" she burst out.

"So, matching tea kettles, then?" he asked hopefully.

Ladybug stared at him in disbelief.

 _Oh my God, I'm gonna marry this dork._

 _And speaking of…._ She held out the jewelry box he'd given her. "I still can't accept this."

Chat panicked. "Nooooo!" he cried, pushing the box back towards her.

"Nope," she said decisively. "We haven't had a proper date, or a proper first kiss, and that proposal was terrible, by the way, I want something waaay more romantic—"

"So, let's fix that!" he said eagerly, darting away. Ladybug stared after him in bewilderment, especially when he came back clutching a tiny green plant in his hand.

"First kiss under the mistletoe!" he said proudly, holding it above their heads. "That's romantic, right?"

She bit back a smile.

 _Yup, I am_ _ **so**_ _gonna marry this dork._

She leaned in and gave him a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, he had the dopiest smile on his face. Ladybug giggled a little.

"Chat," she said, stepping away. "That's holly."

His smile disappeared. "Oh. –Wait a minute! Then why did you kiss me?! LADYBUG?!"

But she was already swinging away.

* * *

End.


	20. Chapter 20

**Day 20 (December 20th) - The Star**

Alya sighed with happiness when the twins came on stage. Marinette had really outdone herself on the costumes for Ella and Etta's Christmas pageant. Instead of white robes, floppy wings, and fake-looking halos made out of tinsel and wire, she'd made the two little girls _really_ look like angels.

They had long, flowy dresses of light pink and blue (their respective favorite colors!), with some sort of sheer material that hung down from their arms, giving the impression of fluttering wings whenever they moved. And instead of halos, they each got a gold circlet, with their hair done up in glitter.

Not exactly traditional, but nobody would mistake them for anything but angels. They looked ethereal!

And she wasn't the only one to think so.

"HELL YEAH!" Nora screamed beside her. "THOSE ARE MY BABY SISTERS, Y'ALL! AREN'T THEY FRICKIN' ADORABLE?!"

Alya tugged her down as the twins broke character and waved. The director quickly tried to get everyone back on track.

"Sit down!" she hissed to Nora, who was trying to get Ella and Etta to smile for the camera again. "You're ruining the show!"

"Aww, don't be such a spoil-sport," Nora grumbled, still far too loudly. Still, Alya counted it as a win when she threw herself back into her chair. "What's got you so uptight, anyway?"

"I am not uptight!" Alya whispered back, offended. "Why can't you just enjoy the production without trying to interrupt it?!"

"Shh, both of you!" their mother scolded. Alya and Nora both snapped their mouths shut.

On stage, the twins began singing "Noel." The whole family cooed, their father raising his video camera to get a better picture. Seeing their parents distracted, Nora leaned in close to Alya.

"I'll bet you're still mad that we had to move before your 'big break into showbiz,'" she teased.

"I am not," Alya insisted, pouting. She glanced over to make sure Mom couldn't hear before she added, "It's not like _I_ was in any Christmas pageants or anything…."

"Look," Marlena whispered, sounding exasperated. Alya jumped, flushing. She hadn't thought her mother could hear her. "I'm _sorry_ that my old job didn't let me have enough time to drive you to rehearsals. But things are different now! If you wanted to be in the Christmas pageant, you should've said so!"

"What?! Who, me?" Alya said, looking surprised. "No way! I'm waay too old for that stuff now!"

"Uh huh," Nora smirked, still watching the twins.

Alya turned her attention to the stage as well, almost laughing when the little boy playing the star came out. His costume was obviously cardboard, and he looked like he was having trouble walking in it too. Poor thing.

"I could've been a great star," she mumbled, thinking about what kind of outfit Marinette could've designed for her. Something gold and bright—and flowy like the twins! And maybe Marinette could throw some orange in there, to better suit her coloring—

"No, you couldn't have," Nora said, still smirking.

"What?! What do you mean?" Alya asked, barely remembering to keep her voice down.

Her older sister snickered at her. "You _can't_ be the star, Al. The song specifically says 'No Al.' No Al, no Al…," she sang.

Alya punched her in the arm.


	21. Chapter 21

_(dedicated to **callmeakumatized** , who's birthday is today and who's one of the few who got my last joke! Happy birthday, sweets! Hope you enjoy!)_

* * *

 **Day 21 (December 21st) - Warm**

 _(continued from 13 – "Hot Chocolate Mustache" and 14 – "it's too cold for this")_

* * *

"Wha—?" Marinette exclaimed, looking at him wildly, her hand automatically going to her choker. "Adrien, what are you talking about?!"

 _Tell her._

 _Say it. She's begging you! Just say it!_

 _But…._

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, turning to leave. Her hand shot out, catching the sleeve of his coat.

"Don't. You. Dare," she growled, her voice shaking. "Don't you _dare_ leave me here with just _that_!"

"I already said sorry."

"I'm not talking about—Are you—?! Tell me something!" she cried, shaking her head. "Something only _he_ would know!"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"IT DOES TO ME! I looked—I looked _everywhere_ for you!"

"And I just stood there."

Marinette pulled him back around so she could stare into his eyes, as if she could search his very soul. Adrien gave her a tired smile, too exhausted to fight it anymore.

"I just stood there, milady. The police were taking my father away, you were giving statement after statement, and I… I just stood there. Poor little Adrien Agreste. I told myself later there was no use in giving Plagg more camembert, you already had it under control. There was no use trying to give a statement; they were all focused on _you_."

He gave a little laugh. "The great Ladybug, a simple baker's daughter. A great human-interests story, but," he swallowed, "can you imagine the _sensationalism_ if Chat Noir turned out to be the son of Hawkmoth?!" He took a moment to laugh. "There'd be riots in the streets! Protests! 'Experts' giving their 'expert opinion' on how I might've affected the team…."

"Chat…." Marinette's eyes filled with tears.

"People wondering if I might've been helping my father all along! It did take us years to track him down, after all."

"No—"

"And, let's face it. You didn't really need me."

"That's not true!" Marinette choked out, tears streaming down her face. "You—Do you have any idea how much I regret how that night played out?! I sent Chat away and never heard from him again! And one of my best friends from school lost both of his parents and had to go live with relatives in another country! I never heard from _him_ again either—and I was sure he hated me, because _I_ was the reason he was alone!"

"My face was revealed, Chat! Nobody would leave me alone! News crews! Photographers! Stalkers! _Hollywood_! Do you have any idea how many nights I spent on my balcony, hoping you would come and save me?!"

"Sorry I let you down on that one too, then," Adrien said wryly.

"You didn't let me down!" she insisted. "You—he was your father, Adrien! My God! Of course you were in shock! I wouldn't expect anything else! But why didn't you tell me afterwards?!"

"Master Fu came and got the ring the next morning," Adrien admitted. "Said he was sorry; he hadn't known who Hawkmoth was either. It was just… bad luck." He shrugged and gave her a smile. It was an old joke of theirs; their powers being based on luck. "But he also couldn't risk the ring leaving the country, and my cousins were coming later that day, so…."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "I asked him not to tell you who I was. I didn't want to… sully your victory."

"You… you _idiot_!" Marinette sobbed.

And then, to his surprise, she reached up and pulled him into a kiss.

Warmth radiated into him from her lips, filling him, soothing him. It washed away the rage, the loneliness, the _ache_ that had filled him ever since that night. In its place was a calm. A feeling of rightness.

 _This was where he belonged._

 _In her arms, kissing her._

He kissed her back.

She pulled away, her hand coming up to rub her face. "Stubble," she giggled.

"Sorry. I can shave it—"

"Don't. I kind of like it," she said, running her hand along his cheek. "My kitty's got whiskers," she murmured.

Adrien breath caught.

 _ **Her**_ _kitty._

 _Even after all this—! Even after he'd abandoned her for so many years! She still—he was still_ _ **hers**_ _?!_

This time, he was the one to kiss her. He practically lunged at her as he pulled her into his arms. But she gave as good as got; her gasps breathing fire into his veins with each passing minute. Finally, though, she pulled away.

"We need to get back to the party," she whispered against his skin. Adrien groaned, dropping his head onto her shoulder. "And I think we need to find some mistletoe." He perked up, liking this plan a bit more. Marinette giggled again at the expression on his face. "To explain that lipstick on your collar. I don't think a quick rinse is going to get it all off. Chloé made me buy the expensive stuff this time."

"Thank you, Chloé."

Marinette laughed, and continued to straighten his collar and mess with his jacket, before she finally looked up at him.

"Then, you aren't going to leave my side for the remainder of the party," she said, decision made. "And when it's over, I'm going to take you back to my place and make certain you never want to leave Paris again."

He sucked in a breath. "This is a good plan," he whispered. "I like this plan."

She gave him a smug smile. "I thought you might."

"But what will the people of Paris think? About their hero dating a—"

"Who cares what they think?" Marinette demanded, pulling him close again. "You are _mine_ , Adrien Agreste. I lost you once. And I will fight _anyone_ who tries to take you away again." She looked him up and down. "Even you."

 _Hers_. Warmth blossomed again in his chest at the thought.

 _And really_ , Adrien thought, _there was no use in arguing with_ _ **Ladybug**_ _._

So, he did what any rational man would do. He kissed her again.

* * *

End.


	22. Chapter 22

**Day 22 (December 22nd) - Naughty or Nice**

Alya waited for Marinette at the front of the school, her foot tapping irritably. _Ugh it was cold!_ And sure, the girl was usually late, but today, the Ladyblogger had some _amazing_ news!

 _Some_ _ **frustrating**_ _news,_ she added silently, checking the blog again.

 _Nothing._

 _No one._

 _Not one person!_

 _Not one Parisian had betrayed Ladybug and Chat Noir when Hawkmoth had them cornered yesterday!_

He'd created an akuma that mimicked Carapace's powers. Shields only, made of something that no magic could pierce. He'd forced Ladybug and Chat to use their powers, and then trapped them in a transparent box to wait out their transformations.

Soon, everyone would know their identities! Hawkmoth would know their identities! And even though the Villain of the Day was too weak to get rid of them, Hawkmoth could hunt the superheroes himself at his leisure.

 _A good plan,_ Alya had to admit.

Until the citizens of Paris decided to do something about it.

Just before the transformations dropped, the crowd nearby had driven the akumatized villain away. (He was _not_ a fighter.) Then, they'd covered the invisible box with a piece of fabric from a nearby store.

And then, as the pièce de résistance, they'd formed a human shield around their superheroes, blocking anyone from seeing who was inside.

Everyone had turned their backs and looked away.

Nobody took out their phone or snapped a picture.

They'd chased away anyone who tried to peek, including throwing themselves at the akuma to distract him until the superheroes had powered up again.

No one. Not one single video or photo.

Alya would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little bit disappointed.

But also proud. So _very_ proud of her fellow Parisians! _No one_ had come forward with the scoop of lifetime. No one was willing to damn their superheroes into a life of hiding.

In fact, it sounded like Ladybug and Chat Noir were the only ones who'd discovered each other's identities yesterday! Some people _had_ come forward with a first-hand account of what they'd heard.

Apparently, there'd been some screaming, some accusations ("You weren't supposed to turn around, Chat!" "You looked first, Ma—my lady!" "You both peeked at the same time because of that big explosion, now _where's my cheese_?!"), and some very intense munching sounds.

Badda bing, badda boom, they saved the day again and flew off into the sunset together. Yay.

At least Ladynoir was trending.

"Where _is_ that girl?!" Alya growled, checking the time. If she waited any longer, _she_ was gonna be late! Marinette better not be expecting her bestie to come up with her excuse this time! Alya stomped up the stairs and into the classroom.

And stopped dead.

There was Marinette, sitting in her seat like nothing was wrong.

And, sitting beside her, holding her hand and gazing at her adoringly, was Adrien Agreste.

"Hi, Alya!" Marinette said brightly, waving her free hand. "Do you mind switching seats with Adrien today? You wanted to sit next to Nino, right?"

Alya blinked. And blinked again.

 _WHAT THE—!_

Her eyes flew to Nino, but he shrugged, as lost as she was.

"Don't worry, Alya," Adrien said, winking at her. "I'll give her back _eventually_."

He grinned at Marinette and lovingly kissed her knuckles. And, instead of melting into a puddle of Marinette-goo, blushing and stammering incoherently, or just outright _dying_ on the spot, Marinette reached up and _playfully tapped him on the nose!_

"Careful, kitty," she teased coyly. "You can't take up _all_ of my time. We still have to pass the class, after all. You need to be a good boy for Santa Claws."

"I can't help it if the most _purr_ - _fect_ subject in the room is right beside me."

"Ok, that one was _a-paw-ling_ and you know it. You can do better than that!"

"My _a-paw-logies_ ," Adrien laughed. He leaned in closer. "You're just so hot you've fried my brain."

 _No, Alya's brain was the one that was fried. WHAT THE—HAD SHE SLIPPED INTO THE TWILIGHT ZONE?_

And apparently, she wasn't the only one to notice.

"Did you two get akumatized or something?" Alix asked, leaning against her desk and looking bored. "You're acting weird."

"Not that we're against it," Mylene added quickly. "But you do seem to be moving awfully… fast."

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, surprised.

"Are we?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he shrugged.

"IT'S RIDICULOUS!" Chloé screamed. "UTTERLY RIDICULOUS! _You've_ put some sort of spell on my Adrikins, Dupain-Cheng, and _I'm going to prove it!"_ And Chloé stomped out of the room.

"Should we try to stop her?" Adrien asked Marinette.

"No," Marinette sighed. "It was only a matter of time before—"

The tell-tale screams of "AKUMA! AKUMA!" started outside. Everyone in the classroom sighed.

"That didn't take long," Alix muttered.

"You two should hide," Nino added, looking at his best friend and his new girlfriend. "She'll be after you first." They nodded and, still holding hands, ran out of the room together.

If Chloé getting akumatized (again!) was record-breaking, Ladybug and Chat Noir's defeat of her was nothing short of _miraculous_. Unable to find the couple she wanted, she'd been disoriented and hesitant to attack her former teammates. She even started crying when Ladybug purified her akuma.

Sabrina took her home for the day.

Alya, meanwhile, didn't know why she was surprised when Marinette and Adrien didn't immediately show back up after the fight. _She thought she knew that girl!_

But Marinette had been doing a whole lot of unexpected things today, so Alya followed a hunch and asked to go to the bathroom.

Sure enough, the janitor's closet was making some odd sounds.

"GOTCHA!" she cried, flinging open the door.

She was still shocked to see Adrien's mouth on Marinette's throat, with her hands buried in his hair.

They yelped and broke apart, blushing and stammering excuses.

"YOU TWO," Alya hissed through her teeth. "HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO! _Making out in a closet?!_ I can understand if it was just a show to piss off Chloé, but what you're doing in _here_ is enough to get the _two nicest people I know_ onto the NAUGHTY LIST!"

The two stared at her, wide-eyed and blinking. Adrien recovered first.

"Sooo…," he said slowly, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "You're saying we're already on it…."

"You're at the very top unless you have a _very good explanation!"_ Alya raged.

Adrien nodded, unaffected by her fury. He shrugged at Marinette.

"Well, my lady, if we're already doomed…," he reached out to pull the door closed again, having the nerve to wink at Alya as he did so, "you can give us a few more minutes then, right?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Day 23 (December 23rd) – Bells**

The tiny bells jingled as she dangled them, and Marinette giggled when the Timeless God of Destruction batted at them like an ordinary house cat. Plagg's tiny tail was twitching happily, and he purred as she petted him; a reward for finally catching them without instantly reducing them to dust.

"You're spoiling him," an amused voice said, coming up behind her. Marinette spun to look at him before she could think better of it.

"Oh, hey! You look great!" she said happily, standing up from the chaise lounge to get a better look. Chat grinned and gave her a turn, holding his arms out so she could see the clothes she'd made him.

It was hardly the first time he'd taken refuge with her when his transformation was about to drop, but Marinette had finally gotten tired of trying not to look, or hanging out with a blindfold, or suddenly having her blankets thrown over her head. So, she'd made him a mask to wear while his kwami recharged himself. And when he'd admitted his clothes might make him recognizable too, she'd added in a Chat Noir-themed zip-up hoodie.

And maybe it was just pardonable pride, but she thought he looked _really_ cute right now.

"The sleeves are a bit long," he admitted, stretching his arms out to show her. "But I kinda like it. It's like a big hug." He wrapped his own arms around himself to emphasize his point.

Marinette giggled.

 _Yup. Definitely cute._

" _You_ get new threads and _I'm_ the one being spoiled?!" Plagg pouted. Chat stuck his tongue out at his kwami.

"If that's your passive-aggressive way of asking for cheese, Plagg, all you had to do was say 'please,'" Marinette said, intervening before they could start fighting again. She held up another piece of Camembert and Plagg dove on it, crooning happily.

"Yup, definitely spoiled," Chat said, frowning at his kwami. Marinette raised an eyebrow and held up a cup of hot cocoa. He licked his lips. "Please and thank you, princess?"

She gave him the cup.

"I do have to say, you've been coming here more often than normal," she added after a moment. "Not that I mind or anything! It's just—there haven't been any akuma alerts…." She trailed off, hoping he would catch her hints.

He'd been dropping by every other night lately. She'd wondered more than once what he was using his power on, but whenever she tried to suit up and find him as Ladybug, he'd evaded her. And if she'd mention it during their usual patrols, he'd deny everything.

And he'd already asked Marinette not to tell anyone he was coming by (for her own safety!), so she couldn't call him on it.

And now, he was staring so sadly into his cocoa cup, she was sorry she'd brought it up at all.

"Chat—" she began.

"I'm… I'm doing a favor for someone," he said finally.

Marinette frowned, wondering if she should tell him how bad a liar he was.

"Some—someone I know… asked me to get rid of a few eyesores," he said, sipping his cocoa.

"You're destroying property?"

He coughed. "It's not—I just… um…. Nobody will miss it."

She raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Nobody _important_ will miss it," he amended. Her frown remained, and he quickly changed the subject. "So— _so_! This outfit is really the cat's pajamas!" he said, grinning at her.

"If you're hoping for an invitation to spend the night, you're going to have to do better than that."

Chat choked on his next sip of cocoa, coughing and sputtering and looking up at her with wide eyes. Marinette laughed.

"I'm joking, kitty," she teased, reaching out but catching herself before she flicked his nose. "I know my knight is much more of a gentleman than that!"

He blinked at her. "Y—yeah," he agreed. "Most definitely. I mean—"

"And, changing the subject," she added, studying him. "There's something wrong with your outfit."

"Huh?" he said, turning again to inspect himself. "I think it looks fine."

"It's missing something."

"It's missing that stupid bell," Plagg chimed in from where he still lay on the chaise, ironically playing with his own set of bells.

"Ah! Of course!" Marinette said. She held her hand out to Plagg, but he pouted and held his toys away from her.

"Pay."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Two more wedges of camembert for the bells."

"Done!" Plagg cheered, completing the swap. "I like you, girlie. Let's keep her, kid!"

"Plagg!" Chat hissed, blushing furiously. His eyes went wider when she approached him, skillfully attaching one of the bells to the zipper clasp on his hoodie.

"There," she said, flicking it. "You look much better now!" She looked up at him, and was startled for a moment on how green his eyes still were, even with the sclera back to normal. He slowly blinked back at her, licking his lips.

"I… uh…"

"Hey, kid, aren't you on Santa duty tonight?" Plagg interrupted again. That startled them out of their staring.

"Santa duty?" Marinette asked.

"At the Children's Hospital," Chat explained with an awkward smile. "I have a tradition of zooming by on my way back home from patrol. I ring my bell, and the kiddos think it's Santa, 'cause I'm right outside their window." He shrugged. "It's simple, but it's fun."

"That's so cute, Chat!" Marinette squealed. "Well, I can't keep Santa Claws here forever. You'd better get going."

"Uh, yeah. Ready, Plagg? _Claws out!"_

Marinette waved goodbye until he was out of sight. It was only when Tikki swooped back up that she realized Chat hadn't taken off the outfit.

 _Oh well, she could always make more. And he'd seemed to really them!_ The thought made her warm inside.

Until she saw the look on Tikki's face.

"What?" she asked. "Don't tell me I shouldn't let him come here anymore!"

"No, that's not it," Tikki said, her stern face barely holding back a smile. "You just have a lot to learn about cats is all."

"What?"

"Marinette," the kwami said patiently, "he trusts you enough to come here when he needs to de-transform. He let you dress him; to put your scent on him. And," she added, unable to hold back her grin anymore, "he let you _bell_ him." She giggled. "Long story short; he considers you _family_ now."

"Oh," Marinette said quietly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"That's up to you."

"Well, I don't have a—"

Her phone rang. Frowning, she answered it.

"Hi, Alya. It's a bit late, isn't it—"

" _OMG, MARI! YOU'RE NEVER GONNA BELIEVE IT! SOMEBODY CAUGHT CHAT NOIR DESTROYING THOSE NEW BILBOARDS OF 'ADRIEN; THE FRAGRANCE!'"_

" **HE** _ **WHAT**_ **?!"**

" _YEAH! HE'S BEEN DOING ONE OR TWO A NIGHT!"_

"Sorry, Alya. I gotta go," Marinette said through gritted teeth. She hung up. "Tikki, I think it's time we catch ourselves a Santa Claws! _Why are you laughing_?!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Day 24 (December 24th) - Candle**

Lila lit her candle and placed it in her window with a shiver of delight. (Of course, it might've been her open window…)

 _Moths were attracted to light, right? There was even that whole saying: "like a moth to a flame…"_

She could only hope the same could be said for akumas.

She was ready. _Oh boy, was she ready!_ She had so many ideas on what kind of supervillain she could become next!

Maybe fire-throwing, based on her candle? That could be fun! Of course, Ladybug would probably just find a way to throw her in the Seine….

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening!—No, that one had been done already.

Ooo, telekinetic powers! Then she could lift Ladybug with her mind and toss her around like a ragdoll! –Wait, hadn't there already been one involving dolls? How much could Hawkmoth cross powers?!

Oh, they had so much to discuss, if only he would come for her again. She could share her ideas, he would share his powers, and nobody would _ever_ make fun of her again!

And maybe she'd even find that silly little nobody, Marinette. Ugh, who did that girl think she was? Didn't want to be friends with someone as awesome as _Lila Rossi_?!

 _She_ was the daughter of a diplomat.

 _She_ had been to far off places and had daring adventures!

 _She_ could get anything she wanted, any time she wanted it.

 _She_ was crafty. _She_ was clever. _She_ could take on superheroes.

All Ladybug had was some magical jewelry.

 _Lila_ was more than a match for that little red bug!

 _And soon the world would know it!_ she thought with satisfaction, sitting down to wait for her butterfly to appear. She'd give Hawkmoth the Miraculouses he wanted so desperately. And after he made his wish and the world went back to normal, everyone would agree that she'd done the right thing. That Ladybug and Chat Noir had just been making a bad situation worse by being so stubborn and not giving in.

Lila would be the hero, beloved by all. Adrien himself would get down on bended knee and beg her to be his girlfriend. No more of that stuck-up attitude, pretending he knew what was best for her! Maybe she'd make him squirm for a bit, before magnanimously accepting his offer and forgiving his sins.

Yes, the world would soon be right once more.

She focused on her anger, on her desire to destroy Ladybug and everything the heroine stood for. Surely Hawkmoth would sense it and send for her. She simply had to be patient.

 _Oh! There!_

 _The tell-tale fluttering of dark wings, right in her window!_ Lila stood, eager and ready—

Only for the akuma to get too close to her candle and suddenly burst into flame.

"NO!" Lila screamed in disbelief, but it was already ashes. She stared. _All that time spent preparing and waiting and now—_

"Oh! Hey, Lila!" Ladybug said cheerfully, waving just outside her window.

Still in shock, Lila waved numbly back.

"Chat and I were chasing an akuma, but it looks like you got it already! Good job!"

"Did you find it, milady?" Chat Noir asked, coming up behind Ladybug.

"Lila got it! She set it on fire with her candle!"

"You can do that?!" Chat asked incredulously.

"I know, right?! But it's probably better if we keep purifying them. They're actually kinda cute once they're white!"

"True."

"Well, bug out," Ladybug sang cheerfully. "Thanks again, Lila! Keep up the good work and stay strong!"

"Merry Christmas!" Chat Noir added, waving goodbye.

Lila stared after them as they took off. Then, she turned around, flopped onto her bed, and screamed into her pillow.


	25. Chapter 25

**Day 25 (December 25th) - Merry Christmas**

 _(continued from 4 - "All I Want For Christmas," 8 – Christmas Music, 15 – Decorations, and 18 – Winter Wonderland)_

* * *

" _Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…."_

Emilie hummed along as she added the finishing touches to the Christmas decorations.

"Ma'am," Nathalie said, coming towards her, "the Dupain-Chengs called; they're going to be a few minutes late."

"Oh good," Emilie said, "I've got a few more things to take care of. Did Adrien pick an outfit yet?"

"He was still deciding when I left," Nathalie said, not quite biting back her smile.

Emilie giggled and took one final look around the foyer. Her eyes landed on the portrait of her husband and son at the top of the stairs. She frowned. "No matter how much I look at it, I hate it," she finally said. "Do we still need to get a permit from the city to have a bonfire in the backyard?"

"I'll take care of it straightaway, ma'am."

"Thank you, Nathalie," she chirped happily. _Maybe they could roast marshmallows on it._

"The chef said dinner's ready," Gabriel said, heading for the tree with a stack of presents.

Emilie tried not to peek to see if any were for her… _oh, who was she kidding?_ She dove for them! Her husband quickly moved the stack of boxes out of her reach.

"No peeking," he scolded.

"I'm not peeking," she grinned impishly, still reaching for the boxes. "I'm taking a big, fat look! Come and stop me!"

Gabriel pulled her away from the tree, straight into his arms.

"Charmer," Emilie grinned against his lips. He responded by kissing her again.

Finally, they broke apart, and Gabriel sighed, resting his forehead against hers.

"I still don't like that deal we made," he muttered.

* * *

" _All right, kwamis," she said, getting the attention of all three sprites now floating around them. "A life for a life. That's the price and the price must be paid, isn't that right?"_

" _Yes," the little red one named Tikki nodded._

" _But," Emilie added, "is there any rule that says only_ _ **one**_ _person must pay it? Could the price be divided between two—or even three—people?"_

 _Tikki and Plagg blinked at each other. "Well, I guess so…."_

 _Emilie glanced over at her son. "What do you think, sweetie? You were willing to give up your whole life for your Marinette. What if you and I each gave her half?"_

" _Yes!" Adrien breathed, hope shining in his eyes._

" _No," Gabriel said. But before Emilie could open her mouth to argue, he took her hand. "Thirds. We'll each give up a third of our life to her."_

" _Father…," Adrien looked shocked._

" _Master, are you sure?" the little purple kwami asked._

" _Yes," Gabriel said firmly. "We're a family. And a family shares its burdens as well as its successes." He looked at his wife. "Wasn't that what you were going to say?"_

 _She squeezed his hand. "You know me so well."_

* * *

"'Tis the season for sharing," she whispered back. "Besides, there's a lot of magic out there to be discovered. We could still find a way to live forever."

He smirked at her. "I love the way your mind works."

"I love you too."

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am," Nathalie said, entering the room. "I believe your guests have arrived."

"Yay!" Emilie cheered, pushing away from her husband. "Nathalie, could you go tell Adrien? Oh, he'll be so excited!" She rushed to the door to greet her guests.

"Tom! Sabine! We're so glad you could make it!" she gushed, kissing their cheeks.

"Sorry we're late," Sabine laughed. "We had a little incident with one of the pies."

"But we brought eclairs to make up for it," Tom added.

"Your baked goods are always welcome here," Gabriel assured him as the two men shook hands. "Please, let me help." Ever the gentleman, he took Sabine's package and he and Tom headed off to the dining room while the women continued to chat.

"How are you feeling?" Emilie asked.

"Fine, fine," Sabine assured her. "The doctors say there's nothing wrong with us, we just can't remember those two days for some reason. Who knows what happened?"

"Maybe it was magic," Emilie said, winking.

Sabine laughed. "Well, if it _was_ Christmas gremlins, I wish they'd have cleaned my house for me too!"

They both laughed.

"Maman, where do you want me to put these boxes?" Another voice called. Emilie beamed as Marinette came into sight, carrying a large stack of wrapped boxes.

 _There's my beautiful daughter-in-law-to-be!_ She thought gleefully. _Oh, she's going to be such a lovely bride for Adrien! And those snowflakes in her hair… maybe we should have a winter wedding?_

"Here, Marinette! Let me help!" As if on cue, Adrien came running up to his friend. He stopped just short of touching her, both of them blushing.

"Hi."

"Hi!" Marinette squeaked back.

 _They are so_ _ **cute**_ _._

"Presents go under the tree, Marinette," Emilie reminded them, hating that she had to stop them from gazing into each other's eyes.

"R-right, Mrs. Agreste!" Marinette yelped. She and Adrien avoided eye contact as he helped her with her load.

"I've told you, dear. You can call me Emilie."

"Y-yes, of course, ma'am. Err… Miss Emilie. Err—ACK!" She promptly dropped a couple boxes on Adrien's head. "SORRY! Sorry!" He just laughed, rubbing his head as he looked up at her.

Emilie couldn't resist cooing _. There was just so much love there_! It reminded her of the first time they'd seen each other after the spell had been completed….

* * *

" _Adrien?" Marinette said dazedly, not quite awake yet._

" _Right here, Marinette," he said, grabbing her hand and holding it tight._

" _Wha—what happened?" she asked, looking around. "You're not supposed to remember me. You're supposed… to be happy…"_

" _As if I could be happy without my Lady."_

 _She looked at him wildly for a moment, and then her gaze softened._

" _Oh, Chat, I'm so sorry…."_

" _I'm not!" he said, hugging her fiercely. Marinette returned it, but she was already looking over his shoulder as well, staring at Gabriel and Emilie in confusion._

" _But then… who paid…?"_

" _Adrien and his family decided to split the cost_ _ _and they each gave you a third of their remaining lifeforce!"_ Tikki said, hugging her former owner's cheek as soon as Adrien released her. "It's something we haven't tried before, but it worked!"_

 _Marinette blinked, staring at her former foe. "Oh. I—I really don't know what to say. Thank you."_

" _Thank_ _ **you**_ _, Marinette," Gabriel said, nodding at her gruffly._

" _And welcome to the family!" Emilie added._

* * *

"Dinner is ready," Gabriel reminded them all, stepping into the room again, Tom right behind him. "Shall we?"

"Ready, Marinette?" Adrien asked, grabbing her hand as they followed the adults into the dining room.

His mother, however, was not quite done yet.

"Hang on, you two!" she ordered, as they stepped into the doorway. The teenagers froze. Emilie chuckled and pointed above their heads.

Mistletoe.

Their faces both went white.

"Mo-om," Adrien whined.

"Ah ah ah," she said, waggling her finger at them and trying not to laugh as Marinette went through several shades of red. "It's tradition."

" _You_ are not even _trying_ to be subtle," Gabriel murmured into her hair, she could feel his silent laughter.

"Subtle is for sissies," she whispered back. She cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the two teenagers. A couple more minutes of blushing and stammering, and they finally gave each other a quick peck on the cheek.

Emilie was not impressed.

"You got anymore Miraculouses?" she hissed at her husband as Tom and Sabine welcomed and cooed over the still-blushing young couple. "This is gonna be harder than I thought."

"We'll think of something," Gabriel chuckled. They joined the rest of their family.

"… _Although it's been said many times, many ways: Merry Christmas to you."_

* * *

…End.


End file.
